Chapter 1: Getting Caught Up To Speed
Summary:
A lot can happen in three years, from new romances, to holidays and birthdays, and a lot of emotional baggage. Let’s see what our favourite unlikely family has gotten up to in that time…
Chapter Text
Clear blue skies hung above a busy and very populated city. Within this city, bustling with activity and life, was a castle. It stood tall, towering over all buildings with ease. Split down the middle, one side was pure white while the other was pitch black. Hanging above, bridging two purple, glitching clouds, was a vibrant rainbow.
While most would gaze at such a structure in confusion, here, it was a staple of the skyline. A landmark no one could live without.
And inside the castle were its lively, chaotic but loving residents. Whether it be the twins Lightness & Darkness, the collected Rainbow, the hard working Virus, or the army’s strict general Skye, none of them would ever turn down a cry for help.
But that became all the more trickier when a boy was thrown into their lives three years prior.
Said boy befriending the general’s daughter and a magical talking sword.
Said boy who found himself whisked on an adventure across universes, picking up new-found friends along the way. Ones he could call family.
Said boy who was currently in shock at the sight before him.
“Okay… Let me get this straight…” Caleb began, the now 19 year old staring at his soot covered family in shock. Katania, now 17, and Gladius faced the group in befuddlement. “Zomboss asked you guys to help him and The Doc with some experiment, Flowey showed up and made it go haywire, you all tried to stop it only for it to explode, and now…” He gestured to the dictator of a workshop. “This?!”
Vanellope, who was hanging upside down from a night fixture, giggled. “Awww, c’mon Glasses! Don’t be a wet blanket, we had fun! This is why I love coming over!”
Scrap Baby, prying herself off of a shell-shocked Owen, huffed. “Says you, Schweetz. I have dust, soot and ash in places that’ll take hours to clean.”
“Hah!” The Doctor barked, ducking out from behind a desk he used as cover. “This is why we test this stuff, Baby. Now that we know nitroglycerin and… troll spit… don’t mix.”
Caleb groaned, running his hands over his face. Gladius sighed and shook his head as Katania dashed over to help everyone to their feet (not without shooting each of them a scolding look).
Yes, things certainly have picked up since Caleb first arrived in the multiverse. Since the three years of himself living at the Capital, the whole place has been so much more lively. For one, Katania and Gladius were such lively additions. The once shy girl and sealed sword added to the chaos the destructive trio could reach, but that’s from an onlooker’s perspective. From Rainbow, Virus, Lightness and Darkness, it was a much needed splash of life.
Then there were the others, the Wasabi Whip Maple and mini Zombot Z-Tron. These other permanent residents, while of few words, still brought smiles to all of those around.
All of this was just the cherry on top, as the bulk of this series of changes in the Capital was also thanks to the visits from the rest of the group. From Zomboss and The Doctor’s experiments, Grojband rocking out with a new cover or original song, Flowey and Majima pranking the others, or the bi-weekly Mario Kart tournaments, there wasn’t ever a stale day within the heart of creation.
Other changes included the Council chilling out considerably, no longer being so explosive during the required meetings; the castle saw a noticeable facelift, mainly to accommodate the new faces that visited constantly; and finally there was Rainbow and Virus filling into their role as Caleb’s adoptive parents flawlessly.
And it all started getting their new kid something special for his first year anniversary for showing up.
“Have you guys also seen Purdy, since I’m here?” The bespectacled boy asked flatly, eyeing the destruction before him with a disappointed gaze.
The others, all of them slowly recovering from the blast, shook their heads.
It was just then there was a sweet meow that echoed throughout the room. All heads turned to where the mysterious machine once was, and in its place was a small pink puffball with little paws and a blue bow on her right ear. She meowed again, starched her ear, and slowly waddled over to Caleb. Maple and Z-Tron appeared out of nowhere and followed after her.
All three of them stopped just in front of the trio, looking up at them innocently. The boy smiled and picked up the small kitten, with the plant and robot climbing up onto each of his shoulders.
“You two making sure your sis stayed out of trouble?” Caleb asked the two on his shoulders. They both nodded, and the kitten began to pur.
Katania faced the group of now standing and recovered misfits, giving them a stern glare. “Since we found Purdy, you guys get to clean up this mess.”
Most of the group chuckled at the demand, while others pouted at the suddenly sprung chore.
With that dealt with, Caleb and his three companions, Katania and Gladius all left to head and find Rainbow, quiet grumbling and complaining following them as they left into the hallway. The sound made Kat smirk in vindication, which while surprising to most, for Caleb it was expected. Everyone loved each other, but they also loved to mess with each other. There was that undertone of competition constantly under the surface.
The trio and the collection of tiny companions all headed down the hallway with a sense of happiness, the city visible through the wall length window bursting with excitement and life. Things not just inside the castle had changed, but outside too. The city had taken to the new consistent visitors gracefully, with the group given special discount cards and the like.
It was all amazing.
Caleb peered into the large, brand new lounge room the castle staff installed last year. Sure enough, Rainbow and Virus were sitting on one of the massive red velvet couches looking over some charts. The rainbow-haired goddess and glitching purple blob were so invested, they didn’t notice the others until Gladius hovered over and pulled the one chart they were holding together.
Rainbow shook her head, and looked over at the others as they all walked in and sat on a nearby couch. “Ah, nice of all of you to join us. I can take a strong guess about what the explosion was.”
“You know them, mom”, Caleb said flatly and rolled his eyes. “Something about a bad chemical mixing courtesy of Flowey.”
Virus let out a loud laugh. “Should’ve expected as much.”
“Yeah…” Katania said with a sigh. She then leaned over and looked over the charts resting on the table in the middle of the seating. “What are you two doing, anyway?”
“Eh, just multiverse stuff, nothing you kids should worry about.” At the younger one’s curious looks, he caved and continued. “Just stuff involving new universes and such. Expansion plans, all that.”
Caleb’s eyes sparkled as he quickly rushed over and looked over the papers. There were a plethora of names, a load of them simply for expansion of existing universes. Although there were a few new ones, mainly for upcoming new movies.
“Yeah, it’s a lot, but this is the sort of stuff you guys don’t normally have to see”, Rainbow explained as the two kids looked over all the papers. “I will be honest, I’m surprised you two seem so interested in this, considering it’s all boring paperwork.”
“I don’t know, I just like to know what’s coming up ahead of time”, Caleb said, looking up at his adoptive mother innocently. “I guess I also always want to be prepared if something like last time happens again.”
Rainbow’s mouth formed a straight line in contemplation, understanding what the boy meant. She nodded, and looked off towards a window. “I get that.”
Virus stretched, clearly almost done with being couch bound. “Well, how about we take a break, honey. Go grab a coffee or something.”
The goddess nodded, and the others watched as they left, hands intertwined. Once they were gone, Gladius made his way over to the papers and used his telekinesis to lift one of them up.
“I used to be more involved in this, way back when”, he said in a wistful tone. “Man, seeing these again takes me back.”
“Why’d you stop?” Kat asked as Maple, Z-Tron and Purdy all hopped onto the table and looked the papers over themselves.
The sword shrugged and dropped the paper. “Just got bored, is all. It became all too political for my liking, as many newer Council members way back went though this was akin to claiming territory like mediaeval Europe. It was so headache-inducing.”
Caleb winced and Katania hissed in sympathy. “Understandable”, they said simultaneously.
As they talked, Z-Tron shuffled through the pile a bit more till he came upon a stack of posters. He pulled them out and set them on the floor, earning everyone’s attention. It was a more blatant way to show what was coming, which did help a bit more than what the charts said. There was Free Guy, Raya And The Last Dragon, Dune, The Green Knight, and plenty more. One that caught Caleb’s attention the most was Encanto, which was a movie he heard a lot about, and was interested in.
“Wasn’t there a special screening happening at the theatre in a couple days for a lot of these movies?” Katania inquired as everyone as they cleaned up the papers for Rainbow and Virus. “Because if there is, we should do that! All of us heading out and enjoying some special movie time.”
“That’s not a bad idea, Kat!” Caleb said with a smile. “Maybe we could get Rainbow to book a whole theatre for ourselves.” His smile fell and he looked off with a blank expression. “After last time, I think it’s for the best.”
Gladius cleared his throat at the memory. “I agree. But we should wait till we hear more concrete proof that’s happening. Especially since some of these movies will be released later this year.”
The others nodded, only all of them to jump when the sound of a second explosion rocked the castle.
“Oh for Pete’s…” Caleb grumbled. “GUUUUUYS!!!” He roared, running out of the room, abandoning the papers as he raced towards the source. The others all groaned and gave chase, sans Purdy. She just peacefully trotted after them with an innocent look on her face, her small tongue hanging out as she left the room.
~X~
After dealing with the second mess the others made, the group all split off to do their own things. It was a more lax day, with everyone deciding that they should just do whatever they wanted.
One such group was the self-proclaimed Team E-Scope, who were making their way towards the museum. The lovable lug known as Owen wanted to sample when the connected cafe had to offer, with the others all deciding they had nothing better to do. While they were asked, Courtney and Gwen politely declined to go do their own activities.
And so, at the front of the pack was a very happy Izzy, who had her hand intertwined with the Dun Broch Princess, Merida. Ever since World Tour concluded, Team E-Scope had been adjusting to a variety of things. Owen, Noah and Eve had to adjust to so much, from realising they were cartoon characters to just how vast the multiverse really was.
Izzy, after losing her mind thanks to the pressure of the show and the revelations at the end of the massive adventure three years prior, took up extensive therapy at the Capital to try and fix what was broken. It helped that she had Merida and her little team by her side.
Doubly so since she and Merida have been dating for just over two and a half years at this point, and couldn’t be happier.
“The twin firestorms” was the duo’s nickname, from the way the two of them were a two-woman wrecking crew most of the time. From Izzy's excellent gymnastics and Merida’s sharp shooting, they could solo take out anything that came across their paths. And everyone knew one thing: mess with one of them, you’ll get laid out by them both later.
The Psycho Hose Beast kept a goofy grin on her face, and while it was more subdued, it was lively and jovial. “So, Merry, what have you been up to back at home?”
The princess shrugged, a neutral look on her face. “Eh, it’s been fine. My family took a trip to one of the other clans for some games. Nothing too crazy.”
“That explains why you were AWOL for a week”, Noah said with a smirk. Eva rolled her eyes as Merida looked back at him with a glare.
Owen and Izzy giggled, making the bookworm smirk wider.
The princess shook her head and faced forward again. The other redhead smiled more gently and gave her girlfriend a gentle kiss on the cheek. “C’mon, Merry, you know he’s just teasing.”
“Plus, Noah does care”, Owen said cheerily, slapping the sarcastic schemer on the back.
“He just has a funny way of showing it”, Eva deadpanned out.
Noah simply shrugged and stuffed his hands into his shorts pockets. “Hey, at least I’m here. If it was up to me, I wouldn’t even have shown up on Island.”
“Well, I’m glad you did”, Izzy said honestly. “Team E-Scope doesn’t feel complete without the brains of the operation!”
The bookworm gave off a more honest smile, and the group fell into a comfortable silence as they continued on their way. As they passed by the castle staff, everyone shared polite greetings, and soon they left through the staff only door to and from the museum.
It was nice to be considered Caleb’s ‘knights’, as it meant each member of the group had full access to the castle grounds, both inside and out. It was so freeing, being able to basically be seen as these semi-celebrities (in more ways than one) and have ways to flaunt that fame and power was nice. Although Rainbow made sure they were humble about it, some of the more showy members tended to do it without the goddess’ eyes on them.
Still, it was such an empowering feeling.
When Team E-Scope made it to the central area of the museum, they all split off. Noah and Owen headed towards the science wing to check out what had evolved in the world of technology, Eva headed towards the history wing to see all the crazy battles across time and space, and the pair of redheads headed outside into the enclosed lucious courtyard.
Izzy walked next to Merida with a slight sway in her step, a smile plastered on her face that didn’t quite meet her eyes. Merida looked her over out of the corner of her eye, an unreadable expression on her face. Even with the recovery she was on, Izzy was still embarrassed and ashamed how she acted all that time back. It almost haunted her after World Tour, with it affecting her a lot more deeply than anyone expected.
”You okay, Iz?” The princess asked.
”Hmmm?” The Psycho Hose Beast hummed. She blinked and looked at her partner. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking, that’s all.”
”About what?” Merida pressed.
Izzy nervously swallowed. “Just… about life.”
The princess backed off, giving Izzy an understanding look. “I get it. It’s been… a pretty crazy few years…”
“All of us meeting, World Tour, all of the birthdays and Christmas’ and Halloweens… It's been wild. I still can’t believe it half the time. I’m closer with E-Scope, I have basically a new bunch of sisters, brothers, aunts and uncles…” She gave Merida a massive, goofy grin. “And an amazing girlfriend I would have never got to meet if it wasn’t for that.”
Merida snorted and started laughing. “Aye, you are a charmer, huh?” The princess playfully shoved her partner, and both redheads devolved into a fit of giggles. “But yeah, you got that right. You lot showing up just before one of the hardest times of my life was literally like the gods sent you. Changed my life more than I could’ve hoped.”
”Awww, Merry, shush. You’re makin’ me blush!” Izzy shyly waved her hand, trying to brush off the praise, but the blush that exploded on her face. After a moment, Izzy finally corrected herself and shot Merida a beaming smile. “Well, I wanna go and check out the carnivorous plants…” She swiftly kissed Merida on the lips, leaving a dumbstruck princess as she ran off. “Race ya’ there, Merry!”
”Aye, Izzy!” Merida roared back with a smile. “No fair! You can’t get a head start!” She gave chase, hair flailing around wildly. “Get back here, ya’ bugger!”
~X~
Elsewhere in the castle, Ralph let out a relaxed sigh as he sat at one of the patio sets on the massive balcony Caleb’s assembled basically claimed as their own. He let his eyes wander, smiling a bit when he heard Merida playfully roar after Izzy in the far distance.
She could be really loud.
The wrecker looked over elsewhere, looking at the little group that had formed in the centre of the balcony. Vanellope, being the president she was, took the role of leader as Hilda, Twig, Star, Flowey, The Powerpuffs, McGee and Gretchen all watched and listened to her elaborate plan with full attention.
Ralph chuckled as he took a sip of his chilled glass of root beer, always finding it adorable when the kids all hung out and caused chaos. Pausing for a moment, Ralph let that last word hang in his head. Chaos. It was such a simple yet powerful word that perfectly encapsulated his life away from Litwack’s. From putting up with Majima, to weightlifting with Eva and enjoying quiet time before one of Zomboss’ or The Doctor’s inventions went haywire, not one single moment would ever be considered anything but with this group of misfits.
He took another sip of his drink as memories of the last three years flashed in his head. All the happiness, all the sad…
and the one time Sugar Rush was nearly unplugged.
The wrecker fought back a shiver as the events played out in his head again: Starting from one of the cabinets’ wheels getting wrecked, to how he and Vanny kept getting turned around in the internet, Shank’s very freaky persistence to get Vanellope to join Slaughter Race, and everything in between. Sure, they met Spamly and found a new friend in him, but otherwise that whole experience had left Ralph shaken to his core.
He always saw himself as one of the biggest, but after that, it made him realise how small he really is, even in his own home. From the nine foot tall Stinkbrain who typically towered over most of the arcade denizens, now felt smaller than an ant on a sidewalk. It can be eye opening stuff.
Ralph was snapped out of his thoughts when Rory and Steve joined him at the table, each with drinks of their own.
”What do you think they’re up to?” Rory asked in suspicion.
Ralph shrugged. “With Vanellope, Flowey and McGee? Who knows.”
“I’m gonna bet another one of those crazy pranks they love to pull”, Steve mumbled, shooting the kids and flower an unnoticeable glare. “I’m still finding slime in the smallest of crevices in my dang room.”
“Hopefully they single out someone else this time”, Rory said as he took a sip from his coffee. “Amy doesn’t trust to leave our room unlocked anymore after we found that goat on our bed.”
“You gotta admit, it was kind of funny”, Ralph replied with a slight smirk. “Just on the fact they slipped a goat inside without us noticing.”
“They have the Powerpuffs helping them, they probably flew in and placed it”, Rory hissed in frustration.
Steve snorted. “We would’ve heard them, Rory. They aren’t particularly the most discreet.”
Mr.Pond huffed and looked off to the side, making the other two men chuckle.
”In all seriousness”, Steve continued. “We need to make sure they don’t do anything drastic. We don’t want another ‘Paint Bomb’ Incident.”
The wrecker and former centurion hissed as the memory of the kids setting off a paint bomb a year ago played out. It was such a disaster, with Majima, Katania and Barranco left injured for a good week and the cafeteria such a mess it had to be quarantined for a month because they decided to use vinegar and baking side as ingredients, which didn’t mix well with the paint.
“Baby was this close to ripping off their heads”, Rory said in a catatonic state, remembering how furious Scrap baby was when she came out a complete disaster. It took Ralph, Eva and Dry Bowser’s combined strength to keep her from ripping the kids apart.
“Ah I’m sure they learned their lesson”, Ralph waved off. “Plus, a few weeks ago I had a sit down with Vanny and talked to her about her pranks. Just wanted her to tone them down, we aren’t all invincible.”
“That’s good”, Steve muttered. He gave Ralph a glance, the look in his eyes giving off a hint of sympathy. “How are you doing btw, Ralph? In a few months it’ll be the ten year anniversary of your movie.”
“Honestly? I’m happy. Excited. But also just shocked it’s been ten years already. Time went by so much faster ever since we all got together.”
“Me, Amy and The Doctor want to get a lot of things rolling”, Rory said happily, the previous conversation finally dropped. “Just be sure to drop suggestions next time you run into the others. Especially Amy, she’s got her notebook on hand whenever it’s needed.”
”Noted, thanks Rory.” After that, the three men entered a comfortable silence, idly watching the kids and flower all plot and discuss whatever they were going on about. It was very endearing.
But as the seconds ticked on, Ralph’s eyes wandered back towards the courtyard, and slowly moved towards the city. In his mind, he couldn’t help the feeling of being so small enter his mind.
At least he had the others to help him through everything.
~X~
Scrap Baby looked over her painted fingertips with a bored look as Nightmare Bonnie and Dry Bowser chatted off to the side. The trio were the only ones who hadn’t left the Rec Room after the clean up, and decided it was a perfect time to stake their claim and relax.
Mainly just because they didn’t have anything better to do at this point.
“So, how has things been with you, Dry?” The rabbit asked. “We don’t get much time to just chat.”
“Yeah, very true”, the skeleton responded. “Well, they’ve been okay for a while. Although occasionally some of my Dry Bones do get on my nerves.”
Bonnie snorted, wrapping an arm around Baby. “I feel that. I just went to visit Molten and Lefty the other day, and Nightmare BB was causing all sorts of issues with Plushtrap and RWQ in tow.”
Dry winced. “Sounds rough… How have things been over at the pizzeria, anyway?”
Baby tuned the rest of the conversation out as they started talking about the strides Cassidy, aka Golden Freddy, had made to improve the ‘afterlife’ she had set up for everyone after the fire that was supposed to burn it all down for good. But even to this day, even after three years, she refused to go back. There were so many times where she wanted to, but a rush of bad memories kept her from committing.
She still couldn’t shake how she just gutted Rockstar Freddy, even after Bonnie, Molten and Lefty reassured her that he was perfectly fine thanks to extensive repairs, she still never had the heart to go back. It was just too much, and after she woke up from a nightmare about that place, Bonnie put his foot down.
Having been dating for three years means there’s this innate sense of over protectiveness within him. And it only grew stronger over the years, something Baby was completely smitten by.
”Well, I was thinking of doing a sort of undead get-together at some point, so you two are welcome to tag along.” Dry said as his voice suddenly entered Baby’s ears again. She shook her head and looked at him, confusion on her face.
”What are you two talking about?” She asked, her gaze bouncing between Dry and Bonnie. “Sorry, I just blacked out there, I don’t know why that happened.”
Her boyfriend smiled reassuringly. “It’s all good, Baby.” The rabbit gestured to the undead turtle dragon. “Dry Bowser was just asking if we’d be okay with joining him to a special event he has planned.”
”Zomboss will also be there”, Dry added.
Baby looked up at the ceiling, then nodded with a smile. “I’d love to go! But only if you’re going to, mister…” She said that last bit teasingly, adjusting her boyfriend’s coat collar.
Dry Bowser rolled his eyes, but was still smiling nonetheless. “Alright you two. Before you start going nuts, I want to run you through what I have so far.” The skeleton stood up and started to make his way out of the room. “C’mon.”
The two animatronics stood up, linked arms, and followed after their friend, heading out of the Rec Room to spend the rest of the day party planning.
~X~
The day trucked on, with very minimal chaos happening throughout as the sun began to set in the warm, June sky. The whole group filed into their personal food court. There was an open window towards the kitchen, which could and would make the gang anything they desired. That was something the chefs prided themselves on.
Caleb was sitting at one of the six available tables, and as he watched his friends all wander about and stock their plates up, his thoughts from earlier slowly rolled back. So with a determined look staring down at me fish and chips, I decided to bring it up.
My table was soon loaded up as Katania, Gladius, Star, Marco, Majima and Jenny sat down. I could feel Purdy rubbing against my legs while I spotted Maple and Z-Tron relaxing in their little spot of the room (which was outfitted with a flower bed and charging station), and when everyone was situated, I finally spoke up.
“So me, Kat and Gladdy ran into Rainbow and Virus earlier today.” Kat passed me a side glance with a smirk. “And it made me think of something crazy.”
”That sounds dangerous”, Majima snarked as he took a bite of his sushi.
”What were they doing?” Jenny asked, carefully sipping her can of motor oil (it was custom made to be scentless).
”Filtering through a bunch of posters for upcoming movies”, Gladius said as he lazily flew above the table. “Namely the ones for new universes.”
”Ooooohhhh… I can see where this is going~!” Star said with a sing-song tone, pausing the complete travesty she was doing on her pizza.
I giggled. “You got me, Star. I was offering up a movie day! Special early screenings are held for castle staff at the theatre a… month-ish early I think?”
”Sounds fun”, Marco muttered as he took a bite of his burger, swallowing before he continued. “But I can tell by your looks that there’s a certain one you want to see.”
”Encanto”, Kat answered. “It’s a new Disney movie coming this November, and to say the least considering… us… it feels like it’s expected.”
Majima roared with laughter, catching the attention of the others. “You two are sooooo lucky you’re fucking adorable, otherwise I’d say no right to your face. But seeing a new Disney movie… not a bad idea.”
”We’re seeing a new movie?!” Bubbles shouted in gleeful excitement.
”Oooo, it’s Encanto, isn’t it?” Amy called out. “I have been curious about that one.”
”Agreed, Amelia”, The Doctor said happily. “Through all my travels, I’ve never been to Columbia, so this’ll be a new experience for me!”
”Gonna be weird watching a new movie from our company”, Ralph commented, earning a nod from Vanellope and Merida.
”Good, because I want to see how they do their Spanish”, Maria whispered with a dangerous edge. Manolo chuckled while Steve and Dry carefully scooted away.
”I heard it’s about a magic family”, Flowey said in thought. “One has super hearing, one shapeshifts, one has super strength, and one…”, He gained a devilish, crooked smile, “…who can manipulate plants.”
”He must never find his way to the world”, Zomboss whispered to Noah, the bookworm nodding with a worried look.
”So then it’s a unanimous yes!” Caleb said happily with a clap. “I’ll try and figure out the exact time tonight or tomorrow, and then it’s a date that’ll be set!”
With that, everyone went back to dinner, which progressed without anything outlandish happening (which, with these gremlins, is rare). Afterwards, everyone left after their fill to do their own things, leaving Caleb, Kat, Gladius and the three little ones on their own once again.
”So, are we gonna get the screening date, or go and do something else?” Kat asked as the group walked down the hallway.
”Preferably now so I don’t procrastinate and forget later”, Caleb admitted sheepishly. “Plus, I want us to know as soon as possible so we can all be ready. Who knows, there could be other hoops we need to jump through. Unless…?” Caleb looked at Katania and Gladius, hoping they could fill in the gap.
They, sadly, both shrugged. “No idea. I haven’t gone to any of these early screenings”, Katania said as the group walked past the wall of paintings. “I usually saw the movies with everyone else, but in a special chunk of seating saved for castle staff.”
”Sounds like the theatre got an upgrade since last I saw it”, Gladius said with a thoughtful hum. “I remember it being fairly small, and somewhat exclusive for more elite members of the community mainly for how expensive it could get.”
”Oh yeah, there’s this whole raised chunk of seating that’s like a sports stadium skybox.” Kat had stars in her eyes as she rambled. “We get personal catering, amazing sound, and some of the softest seating you will ever enjoy.”
”Well I’ll believe it when I see it”, Caleb said cheekily as they came up to the very room they found Rainbow and Virus in originally. Sure enough, the married couple was there, along with the twin brothers Lightness and Darkness.
”Hey there kid”, the embodiment of evil said in a cool tone as the four gods relaxed on the couch. The other three all looked up and watched as the two young adults, sentient sword and trio of small companions flooded in and sat on the floor.
”What brings ya’ little munchkins around this time?” Virus asked as his hand subconsciously played with Caleb’s messy mop of hair.
”We came to ask you guys when’s that early screening of Encanto is”, the glasses wearing boy asked as Purdy plopped onto his lap. “I saw the poster earlier and thought how me, Kat, Gladdy and all the others could go to this one. If that’s okay, of course.”
Almost instantly, Lightness shrugged. “Sure, that’s fine. It’s usually just the four of us anyway, and our special seating has a lot of space.”
”Definitely, you guys are coming”, Rainbow said with a yawn. “It’s in October, sometime around the 14th. So be sure to mark it down or something.” She rolled over into her husband more, and almost instantly, she began to snore like crazy.
”I think that’s our cue to leave”, Gladius said quietly. The others nodded and bid the four gods farewell, heading back towards the Rec Room. Overall, today was good.
Who knows what the next few months could bring to the table.
~X~
And that’s the first chapter of Dreams Come True: Colours Of The Rainbow!!! Yep, DCT is getting an equally massive sequel, with plenty of found family fluff, chaos, angst, comfort, and maybe even a song or two.
…Okay maybe not that last bit.
But regardless, this is it! The big, highly anticipated sequel to my massive passion project! Now, there’s a reason I semi-focused on those in the story during the middle portion. It’s a way so people who didn’t read This Is Your Captain Crashing, WorldWide Wreck-It, and Claw My Heart Out aren’t left completely in the dark. Those stories are optional, but you’ll definitely understand things a lot better if you read them.
Now, I will say that based on my maths, this story won't be as long as the first DCT chapter wise (This one will cap at 80, maybe 85 if I decide I want the 4 epilogues/single credits again), so it won’t be as overwhelming. Still, hopefully you enjoy this story.
Putting all my love in this like always!
~Caleb~
Chapter 2: Artist's Delight
Summary:
Caleb, after something upsetting ends up triggering bad memories, tags along with Gwen, Lefty and Blossom to their newly set up art room. What happens next only sets up more to come…
Chapter Text
Caleb let out a big and loud yawn as his alarm clock went off at 6AM, with his other roommates all stirring and waking up at their own paces. Z-Tron instantly sprung to attention, Maple and Gladius were a lot slower to start to really ‘get up’, and Purdy… She just did anything she wanted. Caleb would blink and she’d go from a sleeping pink fluff ball to out the door like a lightning bolt.
The boy stretched his arms up and cracked his neck, hopping off his bed and making his way over to his dresser. As he opened the drawers to pick out his outfit for the day, Z-Tron activated his blood jets and flew on top of the dresser/vanity combo and watched his owner do his usual thing. Maple had climbed out of his flower pot and was simply wandering around as he waited for time to pass.
Gladius groaned as he stretched, and hovered over to Caleb slowly. “Good morning, Caleb”, the blade mumbled. He yawned and then rested on the couch. “Ready to get the day started?”
Caleb Nodded happily, shooting a sword a thumbs up as he headed into the bathroom. “You know it, Gladdy!” He closed the door, and the sword chuckled. Ever since their last big adventure, Caleb had been getting very punctual about when he wakes up. He claims it’s just so he can make the most of the day, but the sword could see that look in his eyes. The resignation, the fear, the panic… There was a deeper reason for it.
But Gladius knew not to press, because pushing for a clear answer from him usually transpired into something a lot worse. The blade hummed bitterly at a memory two years ago, not long after Izzy went to her first therapy appointment. He seemed a lot more… overprotective than usual. And when it got to the point where some of the others started to bombard him for answers, he shut up and said nothing for a week.
Clearly, even three years later, despite the warm exterior, there was still a frosty interior they hadn’t fully broken away yet, which did make most of the others have guilt well up in them. The boy did confide to the sword and Katania later about why he shut down like that, and what he told them broke their hearts.
He just… still couldn’t remember. All of the memories were layered under a wall of fog and ice, so he couldn’t come up with a straight answer.
Gladius let out a quiet and sad sigh as Caleb stepped out of the bathroom, smiling bright and with fresh comfy clothes on. The sword perked up and made his way over to him, and looked his saviour and companion over.
”You are looking very dapper today, my boy”, the blade said kindly.
Caleb snorted and his smile widened. “You tell me that everyday, dude.” Maple and Z-Tron each climbed onto him and each rested on a shoulder. Smiling, the boy looked in his vanity mirror to do some last little touches, and was surprised to see Purdy on top of his head, awake and smiling her vacant but adorable smile.
”I’m just being honest, Caleb”, Gladius added kindly as he hovered beside him, looking into the mirror.
Caleb smiled as he saw the reflection, and felt oh so happy at how complete they all looked together. All they were missing was Kat, and everything would be perfect..
”Well, no point in gawking at a mirror”, he said suddenly, moving towards the door. “I want to have a great day like always, and staying holed up in here is not how I want to spend it!” He started walking over to the door, no sense of balance lost because of how used he was to being a jungle gym for the little ones at this point.
Gladius barked out a laugh, and followed after him. “You always say that yourself!”
”It’s true, trough!” The boy swung his door open and walked out into the hallway, just stopping short of bumping into Gwen. “Oh, Gwen, hi!”
”Hey there, dudes”, the goth said with a smirk. She held onto what looked like a bag of some kind, and Caleb caught sight of some art supplies sticking out.
”Oooooooooo, are you feeling a burst of creative inspiration?” The young man said in a teasing way.
The goth giggled. “Something like that.” She glanced into his room for a moment. “I heard that there was a new art room installed somewhere, so I wanted to go and check it out.”
His face became one of surprise. “Wait, really?” He looked at the sword in confusion. “Did you know about this?”
”I might have heard something”, Gladius mumbled, sounding uncertain. “But that was decades ago. Maybe it was plans that finally resurfaced after someone remembered…”
Gwen let out a quick hum. “Well, I was gonna go and check that place out, see what they have going on.”
Caleb faced her again, smiling a bit. “Well, hopefully you have fun Gwen! Good luck with any sort of creative creations you come up with!”
The goth laughed and headed down the hall, waving goodbye as she went. Caleb returned the wave until she was completely gone around the corner. As he stood there, his head bobbed a bit as he put his hands on his hips, a thoughtful look on his face.
”Something on your mind, Caleb?” Gladius asked.
He shrugged in response, shifting Maple and Z-Tron a bit. “Just thinking, nothing much else.”
”The prospect of an art room intrigue you, hm?”
Caleb nodded, making Purdy meow quietly before turning around. Her tail plopped right in the boy’s face, but he paid it no mind. “I guess I’m both wanting to tag along with Gwen, but also don’t have any energy to make art right now. I guess we’ll see later.”
With a second shrug, the boy turned around and headed down the hall towards their cafe, with the sword thoughtfully looking back to where the goth went before following his best friend, somewhat hoping they go to the art room just to at least check it out.
”Don’t you think we should check out the new art room, Caleb?” The sword asked as he caught back up with said boy.
He shrugged in response. “I would, but I’d rather go there if I actually feel in an ‘artsy’ sort of mood. So it feels weird to go there and distract Gwen and any others there if I don’t have any intention to draw.”
Gladius hummed in uncertainty, but then shrugged. “I suppose that does make sense. Still, I feel we should at least see what else this place has in story.”
Caleb gave him a look. “You know you’re more than allowed to go and check it out on your own, dude. Don’t let me stop you.”
The sword looked about ready to retort, before he fell silent. He huffed and flew off, making the boy giggle quietly as he headed into the cafe. The moment he entered, Caleb took a big whiff of the food and headed over to the front counter. His three smaller companions hopped off him and made their way to their own corner to eat.
Caleb smiled as he came up, with the head chef Tolken looking up and beaming at the boy. “Ah, Master Caleb, welcome back! How did you sleep?”
A shrug in response. “Eh, it was the same old, same old, Tol. It was great, nothing else to say about it!”
The chef beamed and nodded. “That is wonderful to hear! So, what can I get you this time for breakfast?”
The bespectacled boy hummed in thought as he looked at the display food and what there was in the menu up above. As he looked, something in particular caught his eye.
”Hard-boiled omelette?” He asked in curiosity.
Tolken gasped in happy delight. “Ooooooo, that’s something I thought of myself. It’s a traditional omelette with peppers and various other spices, with sliced hard-boiled egg on top and a thin layer of mashed potatoes on top. And if you want, I can drizzle it in our specialty made catsup, just the kind you adore.”
Caleb’s eyes widened at how delicious that all sounded, so he nodded. “What can I get on the side?”
”All the usual things”, the chef continued. “But I highly recommend the pancakes. Pancake plus the omelette plus the syrup is so good. I tried it myself, as did the staff, and we all loved it!”
The boy looked thoughtful for a moment, then beamed. “I’ll have it then! And for a drink I’ll have a glass of water and a…” He paused as he looked over the drink menu. “An Oreo milkshake.”
Of course, Master Caleb. We will get right on it!”
The boy nodded back, and went to go and take a seat. But after a moment, he had an idea crawl into his head. Glancing at the cafe’s TV, he realised he didn’t know anything about Encanto, and if he and all the others were going to go and watch it, they should know what they were getting into. So, he made his way over to the fireplace mantle and grabbed the remote, turned the TV on, and started to flick through the channels to find any sort of trailer or coverage on the movie.
As he did so, the others all slowly started to file into the room, groggy but smiling. Caleb said good morning to them all as he channel surfed, with his family all heading over and ordering their food. It was a bit slow, but since everyone had their one or two usual picks, it didn’t take that long in all hindsight. As everyone sat back down, they all finally took notice of what Caleb was doing.
”Whatcha’ doing there, mijo?” Manolo asked curiously.
”Trying to find a trailer for Encanto…” He mumbled, squinting as he opened the channel listings. “I just feel like we should know a bit about what we’re going to see…”
”That’s going to be hard”, Laney said as she sat with Corey, their hands intertwined. “Trying to find one trailer with who knows what commercials playing is like-”
”Trying to find a needle in a haystack”, Corey finished making Laney look at him flatly. “I don’t think it’s worth the trouble dude.”
”I know, I know… I was just hoping…”
”If you want to find the trailer”, Tolken said with a smile, pushing a cart that had most of the group’s food hot and ready. “I recommend channel 52. It’s a news bulletin for all the upcoming features, and they usually play segments pertaining to the biggest ones. Since Encanto is a Disney movie, it’s going to be treated like a big deal.”
Caleb looked over his shoulder at the chef, smiling at him as he handed out the food. “Thanks for the tip, Tol!” He faced the screen again and looked for channel 52, eventually seeing that he had just barely found it before a time slot listed ‘Disney Breakdown’ started. So he selected the channel, and turned the volume up as he sat down to enjoy his meal.
The previous program ended as he started to eat, and naturally fed into the Disney block. A formal looking man was behind a news desk, hands politely crossed on the desktop, and smiled warmly into the camera.
”Good morning and welcome back, people of the Capital”, the host started. “As always, my name is Tredson Hobby, and I am the host of this week’s Disney Breakdown.” A graphic flashed on the side of the screen showing the block’s logo, the host smiling all the while. “The biggest news right now is the fast approaching new massive theatrical movie from the ever present company, Encanto.”
”Here we go!” Steve said happily. “This has to be good.”
”First, let’s share the trailer to show what you can expect from the movie. Hopefully it catches your interest.” Tredson gestured at the camera he was looking at, and it faded to black before somewhat intriguing music started playing, which made everyone look up at the screen in intrigue.
The trailer started with some old woman explaining how the candle in her hands works, and how it granted each member of the family a special gift of some kind, and how it made their home come to life. There were some shots of the other characters, probably this magical family, but Caleb found himself drawn to the girl in green glasses for some reason.
She seemed spunky and energetic, but… even though it was just a trailer, he could see something more in her eyes. Something that made my stomach twist uncomfortably at how familiar it was. And the fact she was the only one of her family to not get a gift, based on the trailer… It made him tense up a bit.
Even as the trailer showed that something was wrong with the Encanto, when the home started to crack and crumble, he couldn’t help but stay somewhat stuck on the girl’s mannerisms. Something just hit him in a weird way, and he hated it.
The movie as a whole looked good based on the trailer, but now Caleb wanted to watch it more out of a morbid curiosity rather than plain curiosity. The family… The message of family would be massive in this story, he knew it. And he was terrified how it’ll turn out.
As the trailer ended the Tredson came back on screen, Caleb looked down and started to block out what the TV was saying. But he was still acutely aware of what his friends were saying.
”It honestly doesn’t seem like a bad one”, Amy said as she took a sip of her tea. “Way better than Ralph and Vanellope’s sequel at least…”
“Normally, I’d be offended”, the wrecker said nonchalantly. “But I gotta agree. I’m so much happier with how things actually turned out for us, because I’d probably jump off the top of the Google building if things played out how they were supposed to.”
”That’s morbid…” Steve muttered. “But yeah, Encanto looks fun! I’m curious to learn more about this mysterious family.”
”I liked the kid that could shapeshift!” Molten Freddy cheered as he dangled from the ceiling. “He seems like someone I’d love to meet in person!”
”Make sure that never happens…” Lefty whispered to Jenny, who giggled and nodded.
”I would like to learn the origin of this ‘miracle’”, The Doctor said as he paused his eating. “Because something that offers that much power, brings a building to life, and can just choose not to give someone in the family a ‘gift’ makes me wonder…”
”Who here thinks it’s because of a dead relative?” Dry shouted, raising a bony hand. While there was a brief bit of hesitation in a few of the others, pretty much everyone except Manolo, Rory and Hilda all raised their hands. “Yeah, I thought so.”
Flowey giggled, then looked over at Caleb. “What about you, Glasses? Whatcha’ think of the trailer?”
The boy shook his head and looked back at his family with eyes that were a bit too wide. “O-Oh! Yeah, it was great! The singing was cool and… all that…” His voice trailed off into a mumble, and everyone’s smiles faded as they looked at him in concern as he turned back away.
Gladius hovered in front of him, and Caleb sighed. “I just… The girl with the glasses, Mirabel… She reminded me of… Me…”
Everyone violently flinched at that, the implication clear as day. The bespectacled boy blinked sadly and quietly left the cafe, the others simply watching him leave. It was best to leave him be and not press, else they could face a very emotional wrath they knew was devastating. Even Purdy, despite always seeming on Cloud 9, knew to back off during this.
Caleb was dead silent as he headed down the hall, but when he was far enough away, he let out a snarl and rubbed his face harshly, looking up at the ceiling in immediate exhaustion. He felt stuck, hurt, and so massively conflicted that it just made everything hurt more.
He sighed and shook his head entering the Rec Room and heading straight for the library. It was the one place aside from his room he could get full peace and quiet, and it was just what he needed right now.
He headed up to the upper level and stormed over to the nearest couch, flopping down on it, grabbing a cushion, and burying his face in it so he could scream everything out of his system. Even with the cushion muffling his cry, it still was decently loud in the typically quiet library.
When his vocal cords were ruined, the bespectacled boy dropped the cushion on the floor and he rolled over, looking up at the ceiling with a hollow look. He was just… not doing okay.
Back in the hallway, Maria, Manolo and Dry Bowser were the first to leave the cafe. They had sombre looks on their faces, and glanced at the open Rec Room door.
”We should do something for him…” Maria whispered. “We really should. It doesn’t feel right to leave him like this…”
”He’ll get better eventually, Maria”, her husband said with a gentle smile. “He just needs some space.”
”I don’t, Manolo…” The skeletal beast said in worry. “The more we just let this stew, the worse this sort of thing will get. He needs an outlet to spend his energy…”
The trio looked down, only to look up when Lefty and Blossom walked by, wearing aprons and carrying face masks. “Where are you two going?” Maria asked.
The superhero and black bear looked at the trio. “To the new art room”, Lefty explained. “The two of us and Gwen were going to have a bit of a drawing day.”
”Yeah! I was looking on doing some big sculpture or something”, Blossom said happily. “So I would like to get started soon.”
”Wait!” The wooden woman ran between the two of them. “Would you two be okay if Caleb joined you guys? Just so he can distract himself from… what happened earlier.”
The bear and hero shared a look, then glanced at the open Rec Room door. “I don’t see why not”, Lefty said with a kind tone. “Blossom, go and get him. He definitely needs this.”
The hero nodded and zipped into the room, quickly heading to the top floor of the library, Caleb jumped at her sudden appearance, and then quickly relaxed. “Blossom, hey! What… WHat are you doing here?”
”You’re joining me and Lefty to the art room with Gwen, that’s what! C’mon!” Before the boy could sound off any protest, the superhero had picked him up and carried him out the room. When he was set back down, he was in the middle of the group in the corridor, frozen in shock.
He blinked and looked over at Maria, who gave him a gentle smile. “You have fun, mijo, okay?”
Caleb squinted his eyes at her in mock rage. “We’ll talk about this later…”
”Oh shush”, Lefty said quietly, grabbing his hand and pulling him down the hall. “Focus on art, Caleb.”
The boy sighed and looked ahead, the trio left behind catching a smile just barely gracing his features. “See, already he’s happier”, Dry whispered in a glad tone.
The married couple nodded and headed into the Rec Room, looking to do some relaxing reading to pass the time. Dry smiled as they left, gave the departing trio one last look, and headed towards his room.
~X~
Heading down the hall, Caleb was in a state of calm silence as they neared their destination. He was in a part of the castle he never really explored before, and it was kinda getting him excited to see what was in store for this art room.
”So, do you have any idea what you want to make, Lefty?” Blossom asked the bear.
They shrugged in response. “Not entirely sure just yet. But I was thinking of something involving a landscape as the focus, I don’t know…”
”That sounds like a good idea”, Caleb said with a smile. “If you need help, I can be that… Help…” He looked down in confusion. “I don’t know what I was trying to say there.”
The bear giggled and ruffled the boy’s hair. “You just focus on your own art project, Caleb. I’ll figure my stuff out eventually, I just need to get in the right headspace.”
The boy nodded and looked back ahead, thinking over what he would even do. He didn’t want to come here in the first place simply because he didn’t want to disturb Gwen’s own work. But the more he thought about it, the more that was such a dumb reason. He would’ve gotten a burst of inspiration as soon as he stepped in.
As he thought over what he could draw, the hallway became more quiet as the trio reached a wing of the castle that was more calm. Looking around, the trio saw quickly that this was the more art based area of the palace. It definitely lived up to the vibe, with plenty of artists and musicians walking around and quietly talking between each other.
”This place is really nice”, Blossom said quietly, trying to be respectful. “I should come here more often, just to see what else they do around here.”
Caleb looked around, and stopped walking when he saw a massive cork board. The other two saw and followed his gaze, and they all walked over to look over the multitude of flyers and bull items. It seems this wing of the castle was also the headquarters of planning all the massive events that hit the Capital, as there were flyers and reminders for anniversaries, festivals and various other get-togethers of all kinds.
It was kinda admirable to see it all in one place, like seeing the most insane behind the scenes film of all time.
”Do you think we could help out with any of these events at some point?” Blossom asked as she flew up a bit higher and looked at a Cirque Du Soleil flyer. “Because it’d be cool to do one of these sometime.”
Caleb looked them all over, and saw something that caught his eye. Looking closer, he saw it was an in progress flyer for what seemed to be some sort of festival to close off the summer.
”We could help out with this one”, he said, pointing at the flyer. Lefty and Blossom looked at it in intrigue, becoming more enticed the more they read. “I could talk to Rainbow and we can see where it goes from there.”
”Good idea, Caleb”, the black bear said. “It’d be nice to get out and see something like this first hand.”
”Oh, it’s so much fun, Lefty”, Blossom said in building excitement. “Trust me, you will love it.” She looked over her shoulder, glancing around the space. “I think we kept Gwen waiting for long enough, c’mon. I want to see what this place has for us.”
The other two nodded and followed the superhero down one of the halls, and soon they came across a door that stood out from the rest. It was a pair of double doors, with a photo of the whole group Caleb had assembled over the past three years embedded in one of the doors. The other door had a plaque that read “RESERVED FOR KNIGHTS OF CREATION”, the title Rainbow gave the group for identification reasons.
They headed inside, and the sight before them was ridiculously impressive. Think everything you’d find in a high school’s own art room, only fused with Da Vinci’s studio and a kindergarten classroom. Art supplies was all nearly organised into its respective corners as there was a massive area in the middle.
Gwen was in said middle area, working away at a canvas with a painting that seemed to depict a gothic styled skull hanging from a metal fence spike. As the trio approached her, the goth paused her painting and looked over, smiling with her usual bored eyes.
”Nice of you guys to join me”, she said, setting her paintbrush down and wiping her hands on a cloth she had with her. “I was wondering what was keeping you guys.”
”Maria wanted Caleb to tag along with us”, Blossom said, frowning slightly. When the goth gave him a questioning look, the boy sighed.
”I put on the first trailer for Encanto”, he explained. “And the look in the main character’s eyes… Well, let’s just say it hit a bit too close into the territory of Deja Vu.”
Gwen gave him a sad look and walked over, kneeling down a bit and looking him in the eye. “You okay, dude?”
Caleb shook his head and hugged the goth, who carefully hugged back. She gestured to the others to get set up with their own stuff set up, and they went off. After a bit, the two broke the hug and Caleb gave Gwen a tired smile.
”Sorry about that, Gwen”, he said apologetically. “Just… I needed that.”
”It’s all good, dude”, she said with a relaxed smile. “You helped me get back into art, so it’s only fair.”
”And you don’t Merida chewing you out, right?” The boy had a smirk on his face.
Gwen laughed. “Yes, that too.” She looked over at her art project, then looked back at the boy. “So, do you have any ideas what you want to make?”
“Hmmmmmmm…” Caleb hummed as he looked around, seeing Lefty set up a canvas stand much like Gwen, and Blossom gently set down a chunk of stone on a table. “I’m not quite sure, honestly. Maybe… uh…”
As he trailed off, Gwen giggled and pat his shoulder. “You’ll figure something out soon. Just take a look around at all the supplies, it’ll click for you soon.” She walked off to get back to her project, and Caleb decided to heed her advice and walked over to the plethora of supplies in all their spaces.
As he looked over the massive wall, he looked down to see a platform on the floor with two shoe markings on it. He stepped onto them, and stumbled a bit when a railing suddenly rose and he was raised into the air slightly. As he adjusted to his new position, a console blinked to life in front of him and a screen flickered on to show a catalogue of everything that the art room had to offer.
Swiping through all the different options in intrigue, he soon came across the selection of different coloured string, yarn, and such… An idea started in his head. He let it stew around for a while before it all clicked, and his eyes lit up with excitement in inspiration.
He selected the option on the screen, and the platform moved over to the materials. Acting quick so he didn’t waste an ounce of time, he grabbed everything he needed, putting it all in a basket that the platform revealed to help with carrying everything.
He grabbed strings of all kinds and colours, clips, beads with all sorts and other things that seemed somewhat random. With all his stuff selected, he brought the platform back down and grabbed the basket, running over to a massive empty table. As soon as he set the basket down and sat in a chair he pulled over, he got to work.
With swift movements while still being careful, Caleb started taking the strings, and wrapping them together while stringing the beads along. He spelt out names with other smaller beads as he went, giving each object its own flair, which was complemented with the colours.
Name after name, he worked tirelessly, which also did catch the attention of the other three in the room. They all shared looks, pausing their progress on their own projects to see what Caleb was working on. As she was the nearest, Gwen was the first to pick up one of the first finished things in the slowly growing pile on the opposite side to the basket.
Looking it over, the goth was surprised to see it was a bracelet. Made out of firm material, it had her name on it, with two bat charms on either side of her name. As Lefty and Blossom joined her, looking over all the bracelets, they blinked then looked at Caleb.
”Caleb, what are these?” The black bear asked, holding up their own bracelet which was more than big enough to fit around their wrist.
”Friendship bracelets!” The boy said, looking up and smiling at his friends. “We’ve all been together so long that I thought we could have a signature thing that connects us all together. Sure, we have the phones, but I want something more… visible, if that makes sense.”
Blossom held up her own bracelet and put it on, smiling at how comfortable it felt. “I think it’s cool, Caleb! It’s also sweet, and… Honestly, I like that idea.”
”Just so we always have a reminder of each other, and so people know not to cross a line”, the boy said firmly. “So you guys can put your bracelets on now, if you want. I’m gonna be at this for a while, so don’t wait to put them on.”
He got right back to work, carefully crafting Merida’s bracelet and shutting out distractions. The others all shared looks, unsure what to do next. Well, Blossom went right back to work on her statue, wearing her bracelet tight. Lefty was next, putting the bracelet on as they headed back to their canvas.
Gwen was the last to go, looking down at the simple object with such intrigue, really letting it sit in her how long it’s been since getting roped up with all of this. Since Izzy had her time as a hollow reflection of herself… It’s been so long.
Sure, two years isn’t that long, but a lot can happen in that time when you’re in a place like this.
The goth smiled with a very quiet chuckle, put the bracelet on, and walked back over to her canvas to finish it up and start a new painting.
~X~
It was in the late evening by the time the quartet was done in the art room. Blossom’s sculpture turned out to be a mini model of the Townsville skyline, Lefty painted a very detailed landscape of the Australian Outback, and Gwen was able to do two more paintings in a similar vein to her first one.
Caleb, meanwhile, had a new basket filled with all the other finished bracelets in it. He carried it as they all talked and laughed amongst each other. It was nice, doing things together. Because of how well the session turned out, the quartet agreed to make this a bi-weekly thing, and to assist each other if the creative spark ever faltered.
As they made their way back to the Rec Room, they stopped to look out one of the wall length windows to spy out to the city, taking in the sight of the clusters of buildings.
”You know, I live in a city”, Blossom said wistfully. “And despite that, there’s still something cool about this place.”
”I’d like to believe it’s simply us being unbelievably lucky”, Lefty said, eyeing the metropolis with a watchful eye. “We all we so lucky to run into the right person at the right time.”
”Yeah, this little gremlin right here.” Gwen smirked and ruffled Caleb’s hair, making the boy shoot her a pointed look.
”We’re the same age, Gwen!”
The others simply chuckled, then they all went back on their way. As they walked, Caleb looked back at his faintly visible reflection in the window glass, seeing how much older he was at this point. Time had moved by so quickly, yet he wasn’t scared of it one bit. It was crazy to him how much had happened in such a short amount of time, and he wouldn’t ever say he was upset with how things turned out.
As the group turned into their hallway, they froze when the saw the others looking up at an upside-down Courtney and Zomboss, both looking living as Molten held them up with his wise.
”What did we miss?” Caleb asked as he poked through the crowd and made his way beside Gladius and Katania.
”These two ended up getting into a bit of a heated argument”, the sword explained. “And when it started to turn violent, Molten stepped in and did… this… to make them stop.”
”Hey, it was a reasonable argument!” The Ex-CIT spat out, pointing at the blade in an accusing fashion. “I was just trying to correct Zomboss on his awful legal knowledge, he was the one that wanted to die again on the at hill.”
”I was telling you my knowledge is fine!” The zombie overlord roared back. “My issue was that you were stuck with your brain in a knot because you saw me doing my system differently than what you know.”
”My brain in a knot… that doesn’t make any sense!” Courtney cried out. “When I get my hands on you, your brain will be in a knot!” The two of them started trying to reach for each other, to get into another altercation, but Caleb clearing his throat loudly made everything stop.
He glared up at them. “Guys, c’mon. You’re both adults, act like it. Plus… I have something to show you all, and I’d rather not have two of my family feel the need to rip each other’s heads off when I share.”
The Type A and undead scientist both relented, and Molten set them back down carefully so as to not accidentally set them off again. When they were on the floor, and Molten was more level with everyone else, Caleb led them all into the Rec Room. As everyone filed in and took whatever seats were available, they all turned to the boy expectantly.
”Alright, Caleb-Chan”, Majima said in a semi-bored tone. “What’s up?”
”Well, after spending all day in the art room…” The boy dumped all the finished bracelets on the table. “And made all of these! One for each of you!”
The entire group minus those who were also in the art room with him all leaned forward and looked at the massive pile of bracelets. They then all looked at Gwen, Lefty and Blossom, and saw what they were.
Hilda grabbed the one assigned to her, and she looked at Caleb with star-filled eyes. “You made each of us a bracelet, Caleb?”
”Yep! Like I told Gwen, Lefty and Blossom, these are so that we all all connected in a more… I guess in a physical way would be the way to put it. Plus, it shows everyone else that we are a family, and they can’t do anything to change that.”
Hilda beamed and worked quickly, giving Alfur and Twig their own bracelets after getting her’s on swiftly. Everyone else followed shortly after, admiring the crafts with happiness and excitement, with those who had older, simpler bracelets like Izzy and Corey discarding them for the new ones. Caleb watched them all chat with a beaming smile, only to be caught off guard when Kat slid up next to him and hugged him close.
”You really did all of this just today, huh?” She asked, looking at her own bracelet.
”Yep! I just… I just wanted to do something fun. Especially after what happened at breakfast…” He looked off to the side with a bit of a forlorn look, but Gladius looking him in the eye did lift his spirits just a bit.
”We’ll help you through it, Caleb, I can promise that.”
Caleb nodded and moved over to sit down on an empty chair, watching as his friends all mingled and headed off to do their own things. He was so unimaginably lucky with his life. All of this, these past three years, still didn’t feel real half the time.
As he stayed there, Maple, Z-Tron and Purdy all hopped onto his lap, and he laughed as they all found places on him to have a nap before dinner. This… This was the life he needed, but still questioned he deserved. And he’d take it like a champ, regardless of the good or bad…
~X~
Well, this is it people! The next big part of DCT2 is here! I took a few days to write some side one-shots to try and let my creative juices flowing again before tackling this new beast, and boy I feel more than ready to take this on!
So yeah, this chapter had a lot going on. We saw the cafe, the art room, and even hints to something that will happen later. I got big plans for this first stretch, and it’ll all congregate with the movie viewing. But there will be something a moment earlier that will just be a buttload of character interactions and moments of fluff. You’ll all love it so much!
Also, I wanna add that the friendship bracelets are super important going forward. They’ll play a big part in character growth and bonds strengthening. So keep an eye out for that…
As always, I hope you all enjoyed the next part in our thrilling saga…
Up next: Caleb, trapped in a bout of boredom, ends up coming up with a dumb idea. Even with Dave, Barranco and a reluctant Laney tagging along, trying to go hunting for fantastical creatures would always have some hiccups…
~Caleb~
Chapter 3: Gonna Catch ‘Em
Summary:
Spurred on by a talk with Barranco and Dave, Caleb decides to drag them and a few others on a trip to a world filled with crazy creatures known for battling and evolving…
Chapter Text
Caleb left his room the next day rubbing his eyes, still feeling somewhat tired. Maple, Z-Tron and Purdy looked completely exhausted, like they just spent all night awake at a frat party. They all had a very long night, which was spent watching movies, karaoke, and a lot of food.
So it basically was a frat party, only without the excessive amounts of alcohol.
Caleb blinked slowly as he headed into the cafe, ready to get something in his system to hopefully wake him up more. But as soon as he stepped inside, he saw Dave and Barranco off to the side, quietly talking as they looked over drawings and sketches that they hung up from the wall. The boy, with his curiosity peaked, walked closer, which inadvertently caught the attention of the other two.
”Good morning, Caleb!” The minion greeted happily. “Sleep well after last night?”
The boy nodded in a bit of a distracted manner. “It was okay. Aside from Purdy nearly suffocating me once or twice during the night, it was decent.”
The Rabbid looked behind Caleb for a moment, then back up at him with a questioning look. “Where’s Gladius?”
”He decided to sleep in”, Caleb said with a shrug, rubbing some of the sleep out of his eyes. He then looked over all the drawings and such that were on the wall. “What are you two doing, anyway?”
”Just talking about some of the other places we can visit now”, the Rabbid began. “A lot of them are places that have strange creatures like me and Dave, so we were wondering where would be a good starting point.”
Caleb blinked and looked over the drawings, before eyes caught sight of a map of a location he knew all too well. “You guys… You guys want to visit the Unova region?”
Dave looked at the map, and shrugged. “Honestly, any of the regions from the Pokémon world are on our table. We just singled it out Unova because it felt the closest to home for the both of us.”
”We live in the states, and we both have been to New York”, Barranco added. “So it felt like the best option.”
”Do… Would you guys be down going there?” Caleb asked in apprehension. “Just because… If you do… We could do some Pokémon catching.”
The two smaller beings shared a look, cocking an eyebrow each. “Why do you want to do that, Caleb?” Dave asked.
”I don’t know, I guess I’ve always wanted to experience this all in person”, the boy said as he shyly looked away, before looking back with a bright smile. “And I never thought of doing this myself. So if you guys were planning on this, why don’t we go and get this experience under our belts? That way we all come out winners!”
Barranco gave Caleb a confused look. “Do you know what Pokémon to catch when we’re there?”
”I… I do… kinda”, the boy mumbled. “Four of the five, yes. The sixth one… Is a lot trickier…”
Dave shrugged. “Well, nothing is easy. A little challenge will help us build character. So yes, we’ll go! Get Gladius and get packed while we go and talk to Jeremy about this. We need to be fully ready!”
Caleb nodded his head and left the cafe… Before rushing back in and grabbing a muffin to tide himself over. He ran back out, his three companions all hanging on for dear life, before he burst into his room and rushed over to his backpack.
Maple, Z-Tron and Purdy all jumped onto the couch and watched as the boy worked quickly to fill his bag with all the essentials. The notes it caused woke Gladius up from his prolonged sleep on the main bed.
”What… What’s going on?” The blade grumbled, starting to hover over while stretching.
”I talked with Dave and Barranco, and they agreed that the three of us, plus you, are heading to the Unova region!” The boy flashed his best friend a smile, and the blade angled himself to look thoughtful.
”Going to one of the Pokémon countries, I see… Is it because you’ve been eyeing up wanting to get some new companions?” That last bit was said in a smug tone, which made Caleb blush.
”K-Kinda…” he mumbled. “I didn’t really think of it till talking with them, but I just thought it would be cool to have that. And I do have a few ideas in mind of what Pokémon to catch…”
”Well, that’s good we won’t be going in blind…” The sword moved over to his small cabinet mounted on the wall, which was mainly just filled with emergency supplies as he deemed fit. “If we’re going to be trekking across the whole country, I’d like to be more prepared. So I’ll be taking my own bag.”
”We don’t need to be that prepared, Gladdy”, the boy said back. “There’s towns and cities everywhere, so if things go wrong, it’ll just be a short jog to the next town.”
The sword hummed in uncertainty, then closed his cabinet. “Alright, if you say so. But if something goes wrong, I will chew you out for it when we get home.”
The boy nodded and resumed packing, but paused again as he faced the three on the couch. “I want you three to stay home, okay? None of you guys really look like Pokémon, and I don’t want to be haunted by every person we pass because I have things they won’t recognize.”
“But what about me?” Gladius asked.
”There’s a sword Pokémon, Honedge. If we play it smart, then we can just say you’re that and prefer to stay out of your Pokéball.”
The sword shrugged and bought the explanation, leaving the boy to finish getting packed up. As he did, he moved over to his small desk, ripped a page out of his notebook, and scribbled down eight names on the paper. Gladius looked over his shoulder, but wasn’t able to see what was written before the boy stuck it in his pocket.
He picked up his packed bag, and looked back at the three on the couch. Only to be greeted with Maple and Z-Tron. Purdy was completely awol. With a shrug, he bid farewell to the two of them and headed out into the hallway with Gladius in tow.
But what he failed to noticed was something the plant and bot did notice but didn’t want to say: A familiar pink and fluffy tail slipping into the open pouch.
They shared a look, and shrugged.
Outside on the balcony, Barranco and Dave were being run through the specifics of what they needed to have done for their trip to ensure it was as safe and controlled as possible. All thanks to Jeremy, who was using their map as a guide.
”So, I’m going to open the portal here on Route 18”, the elite guard said, pointing at a line sticking out at the bottom right of the map. “It’s secluded enough for a portal to be opened with no issue. That way you guys can head east, then north, and then you’re on your way!”
”Thanks Jer”, Barranco said, taking out a pen and scribbling on it. “By the way, since we’re going to the world of Pokémon, we’re gonna need some stuff from there.”
”Way ahead of ya’.” The guard pulled out a bag and handed it to Dave. “This is a recreation of what the player characters have for their bag, so it has all the space in it.”
Dave set the bag on the ground and opened it, poking into the biggest pocket to get a look at what there was. “Let’s see… Potions, Full Heals, Revives, Pokéballs, blah, blah, blah…” He stood back up and smiled. “This is perfect, Jer, thank you so much!”
”Ah, don’t mention it”, Jeremy said happily, smiling down at them. “Just be careful, a lot of Pokémon in the wild can be a bit territorial or just flat-out hostile.”
”Don’t worry, we know…” Barranco trailed off as Caleb finally joined them.
”Ready to get going guys?” The boy asked.
”You bet!” “Absolutely!”
”Go where?” Asked a new voice. The group turned around to see Laney coming up from the courtyard, eyeing the group curiously.
”Oh, we were heading out!” Caleb told her happily. “Just doing some last bit of prep time, that’s all.”
”Yep. Hope you four have fun!” Jeremy walked back inside, waving farewell as he went. Laney watched him go for a bit before turning back to the others.
”We’re going to Unova”, Barranco explained. “To just see the sights, smell the smells, all of that.”
”Unova… That one place with those Pokémon things?” The bassist asked. At the nods, she looked off to the side. “Okay, that’s cool. Well, I hope you guys have fun!” She went to head inside, only to stop when Gladius called after her.
”Wait, Laney! Were you… hoping to join us?” The blade asked. The others all looked at her expectantly, and she looked at them with uncertainty.
”Maybe? Just something to catch a break with all band practice and stuff… But I don’t know if this is my kind of thing…”
”Aw, c’mon Lanes! It’ll be fun!” Caleb walked up beside her and smiled. “Plus, there could be a Pokémon that you get attached to.”
The bassist looked down in thought for a moment, before letting out a groan mixed with a sigh. “Alright, I’ll tag along. But I’m heading home if I’m not having fun.”
”You got it!” The Rabbid quietly talked over the last few things with Dave, and then he walked over to the gateway and inserted a special keycard into a slot on the side. A portal opened as usual, and the two short guys headed in first. Laney sighed and followed after, and finally Caleb and Gladius were last.
Stepping through, Caleb was instantly met with a powerful blast of sea air. Blinking and wrinkling his nose at the smell, he looked around and took in the sight. The group was high above on the highest point of the furthest island, with the shore and mainland of the leftmost Unovian peninsula visible in the distance.
”So what exactly is Route 18, Caleb?” Dave asked as he looked over the map, with Barranco taking the bag Jeremy gave them.
”It’s a bonus area of sorts”, the boy explained. “There’s just some extra goodies to get, but aside from that not really anything.” He looked down thoughtfully. “Actually, there is one place here that I need to check out…” Looking down, there was a temporary building set up on a lower cliff. The others all looked down, and they all decided that was their first stop.
They started to make their way down, wading through the tall grass. Occasionally, Crustle and Dwebble would walk by, and the occasional Watchog would poke its head out of the grass and watch the group intensely.
Caleb smiled, taking in the sounds of the Pidoves and Wingulls flying above. Barranco pulled out a camera and started taking pictures, while Dave catalogued the photos in an album he had. Laney was just enamoured by the sights, although jumped a bit when a Scraggy came running past without a care in the world.
Caleb just laughed as the group crossed a bridge and were just before the temporary building. It was grey with a green roof, and smaller windows. The group took in the the sight of the field they found themselves in, seeing all the wild Pokémon milling about at their own discretion. Despite his earlier fears of being in such a very… isolated area, the Pokémon were surprisingly chill. Though they were still very intimidating.
Gladius hummed as the group approached the small shack’s front door. “I’m surprised that they still have something set up so far from land, especially in such an… untamed locale.”
”That’s how this place works, Gladdy”, Caleb said with a shrug. “Trainers need places to recoup and recover after some especially awful battles, so they do this. Sometimes it’s just a nurse or doctor standing in the middle of wherever.”
”That… That sounds kinda sad”, Laney said with a frown. “Just standing around doing nothing for all your life.”
”Well, that’s just the games. Route 18 in the games doesn’t look like… this… So maybe there’s influence on other aspects of the franchise, like the anime and some of the spinoffs.”
Dave looked around, using his goggles as a set of binoculars. “Honestly, this place does look a lot bigger on the map. So that’s a pretty sound theory.”
The boy nodded and opened the door, and was immediately set upon the sight of an egg on the single desk in the building. Also inside were two occupants, both looking like explorers of some kind. The one closest to the egg looked over, and smiled.
”Oh, hello!” She greeted in a cheery tone. “We don’t get many visitors around here, so it is nice to see some sense of humanity.”
Caleb snorted and walked over. “Yeah, I get that. We’re just travellers, so we’re gonna be exploring the whole region.” He glanced at the egg, eyes sparkling a bit. “What’s in this egg?”
”Don’t know”, the treasure hunter responded. “Me and my partner…”, she subtly nodded to the other person, who was being heckled by Dave and Barranco, “…found it while we were exploring the Relic Castle. It hasn’t shown any sign of hatching, so I think it’s a dud…”
Caleb looked at it curiously, and ever so slightly he leaned forward and gently touched it. Immediately, it shook, making the boy and woman jumped back a bit, and she looked at the boy. “Okay, never mind then. Guess it just… wasn’t my egg.” She looked back at the object, which stilled once again. “Do you… Do you want to take it with you?”
Caleb looked at her in confusion. “You’re willing to just give a random stranger you just met an egg?”
The treasure hunter shrugged. “The two of us are more after valuables, treasures, artefacts, stuff like that. An egg, while cool, doesn’t really fit into that. So you can have it. Plus, I have never seen an egg react like that before.”
Caleb blinked quietly, and carefully he took the egg and hugged it close to his body. His heart beat a bit faster as whatever was inside shifted around, as if it was happy to feel his warmth. The boy smiled and hugged the egg closer, careful not to break it, and faced the woman.
”Thanks. This… This means a lot to me.”
”Ah, don’t mention it kid”, the woman said with a relaxed hand wave. “Now you go and enjoy your travels. Keep that egg, and whatever comes out, be sure to cherish it.”
”I will, I promise”, the boy faced the others, who were all talking with the other treasure hunter. “C’mon guys! Let’s get going!”
The group all bid farewell to the duo, Gladius making sure to stay silent as they left. Once they were out, the others all faced the egg.
”You were looking to get an egg?” Laney asked, rubbing a hand against the warm shell. “I’m kinda surprised, honestly. I thought it would be something like a rare Pokémon or something.”
”It technically is…” The bespectacled boy said wistfully. “Just you guys wait and see.”
”So, where’s the next stop on our Pokémon hunting extravaganza?” Barranco asked.
”The next stop would be Pinwheel Forest. It’s right after Nacrene city.”
Dave pulled out the map, and hummed. “A bit of a trek, but it’ll be worth it. So, let’s head along our way!”
The group all started to take the trek, taking a path that pressed against the cliff face down to the shore that headed towards the mainland. As they headed down, they saw what looked to be a bunch of Sawks and Throhs practising their fighting skills on a distant cliff. Rocks were being smashed and thrown, all while the area looked like a primitive fighting dojo.
”It’s weird that so many Pokémon are basically just humans, but they’re still treated as animals”, Gladius said, shivering a bit. “Especially since Pokémon like them look human too.”
”Yeah, when you think about it, it’s weird”, Caleb said. “But considering a lot of these Pokémon are mainly based on concepts, traditions, or mythical creatures, it does make sense when you dig a bit deeper.”
”Makes sense”, Dave said. “I mean, look at me and Barranco. We’re walking examples of this.”
Laney rolled her eyes, but as the group made it to the shore, she stopped to take in the sights of the world. “I will admit, this place is cool. I kinda thought it would be, but it’s something else to be there and see it in person.”
”Yep… That’s how I felt three years back…” Laney looked up at Caleb sadly, and held onto his hand with a tight reassurance. The bespectacled smiled back, and the group continued down to the very edge of the shore. They stopped right before the water, and looked out towards the mainland.
”Wait, how are we supposed to get over there without a boat?” Laney asked.
”They don’t usually use boats for places like this”, Caleb said in worry. “Trainers usually use Pokémon that know Surf. Boats are usually reserved for going across oceans and such, like the boat route between Virbank and Castelia.”
”Luckily!” Barranco said with a beaming and sneaky grin. “They didn’t consider that there would be people with connections to super geniuses!” The Rabbid tossed something into the water, and in the blink of an eye there was suddenly an average sized sailboat right before them. “We set sail soon, gang, hop on!”
Without any hesitation, the group all boarded the boat, and Dave took his position at the helm. The engine sputtered to life, and they were soon off. The ocean air blew through their hair, and Laney put on a sun hat she seemingly was always able to pull out of thin air at the most convenient of times.
As they coasted across the waters, the bassist looked over at a smaller island. “Hey, Caleb, what’s that?”
The boy looked over to see the island with the small building on it. “That’s the P2 Laboratory. It was the place where Team Plasma brought Genesect to life.”
“Gene-what?” Gladius asked in confusion.
”Ancient Pokémon they brought back and tried to turn into a weapon. Plasma was awful, so let’s be glad they’re gone.”
The others all winced at that, and Dave sped the boat up so they could get away from it as fast as possible. Luckily, that meant they reached land sooner, thus meaning they could continue their trek.
As Barranco collapsed the boat into its storable state, Caleb noticed his bag was moving around a bit. The others noticed, and were suddenly filled with panic.
”Did one of those rock crabs slip in?” Dave asked in worry.
Caleb said nothing as he opened his bag… And was caught off guard when a familiar pink fuzzball jumped out onto his arms.
“PURDY?!” Everyone shouted in shock.
The adorable cat simply meowed and purred.
Gladius groaned, burying his jewel in his wings. “Of course we have a stowaway… Every time!”
Caleb just sighed, looking at his kitten with a bemused smile. “Wanted to tag along, huh?”
Purdy mewed in confirmation.
The boy just sighed, and placed his cat on his head, and picked the egg back up. “Alright. But you stay close to me, understand?”
The cat purred and curled up on her spot, content where she was. With that little distraction out of the way, the group got all their things together and continued along their way. But as they walked, Caleb could feel the eggs getting warmer…
~X~
The walk to Pinwheel Forest was a decent trip. The group made small talk and took in the sights as they headed through the routes, taking pit stops in Accumula and Striation City. They even made a quick excursion into the Dreamyard to see if they could spot the rare Musharna. Sadly, she was a no-show.
So they continued along their way, passing the Pokémon Daycare with smiles bright. Despite initial worries bouncing around his head, Caleb was surprised that very few people seemed to be put off by Barranco and Dave. Perhaps since their world was already so fantastical, no one of Unova paid much mind to the bipedal rabbit and living Tic-Tac.
Laney herself was enjoying her time, and only a few times she was enticed by a Pokémon or two they passed. It was never enough to stop them completely, but as they reached the end of Route 3, just before Nacrene City, everything came to a screeching halt.
Laney froze when she saw a small zebra looking Pokémon walk out of the grass, seemingly without a care in the world. Caleb noticed, and quietly told the others to stop.
”You like that Blitzle, Lanes?” The boy asked with a smirk.
The bassist nodded her head. “I… Don’t tell the others this or I will kill you, but it… It looks adorable. I want it.”
”Well…” He reached into the bag filled with Pokémon stuff, and handed her a ball. “Go ahead. See if you can catch it.”
Laney looked at the regular Pokéball in shock, then at Caleb’s encouraging smile, then at the Blitzle. Carefully, she walked up to the small zebra with complete apprehension, worried it was gonna jump out and kick her. But when she stepped in a bad spot, a twig snapped and the Blitzle looked over.
It was a quiet stare down for a bit, with neither the bassist or Pokémon moving even an inch. But, after a bit, the Blitzle walked up to Laney carefully, and started to pace around her. She tensed as it sniffed her, and she felt the urge to run off in case it lashed out. Based on the lighting bolt mane and stripes, this thing was clearly electrically capable.
After a bit, the zebra stepped back and looked up at her, almost expectantly. Laney looked over at the others, and they gestured for her to pet it. While she was still nervous, she carefully brought her hand up, onto the Blitzle’s head…
And immediately, something clicked in them both. Laney looked at the Pokémon in surprise as it started to nuzzle against her, and the others all watched the two form a very quick bond.
”Okay, this is awesome”, Dave whispered, smiling lightly. “I’m really glad we agreed to this.” He looked at Barranco, who nodded with the exact same smile.
After the moment of petting had concluded, Laney was able to coax the Blitzle into the Pokéball. After three shakes, she had caught her first Pokémon as the ball sounded off its resounding click.
With a smile, she walked back up and joined the group. “Okay, I’ll admit, that was awesome! I actually did it!”
”You did, Laney!” Caleb said happily. “So, how about you let your Blitzle-”
”Her name is Zap”, the bassist corrected.
”Okay, how about you let Zap out so both her and Purdy can bond.”
Laney nodded and let Zap out, the zebra looking up at the fluffy kitten still on top of Caleb’s head. Sensing a new spot, Purdy jumped down and landed on the zebra’s back. She got herself comfortable, before relaxing on her new friend’s back. Zap brayed happily, careful not to disturb the kitten, and the group all laughed.
With all of that settled, they all continued along their way and entered Nacrene City. It was a very rustic town, with a massive museum as the signature attraction. But they weren’t sticking around for long, as their next true destination was just on the other end of town. They continued along their way, and only one or two Unovians looked a bit off put by Gladius. But otherwise things were still going smoothly.
As they left the city and headed into the forest, immediately the group could smell the fresh nature of this place. Laney scratched Zap’s chin as they all looked around, seeing Pidove nesting in the trees and Cottonee blowing in the breeze.
Caleb set his bag down and headed into the dense foliage just off the main road, making sure to snag some Luxury Balls before heading out. He was still holding the egg as he came across his target.
A small, red insect with yellow eyes.
A Venipede.
Caleb cautiously raised his ball, but hesitated when several more venipede scurried out from the bushes and all grouped around the original one. But as he tried to formulate a plan of action, something caught his eye.
On their own, away from the group, was another Venipede. Only this one was noticeably larger and brown instead of red. Blinking a bit, Caleb carefully made his way closer to the insect. As he did so, he saw how a few times the discoloured Venipede tried to rejoin the group, but the others all just shoved it away aggressively.
Caleb’s heart broke, and he watched as the Venipede sulked off. Silently, Caleb followed, picking a berry off a tree. He knelt down, which caught the brown bug’s attention, and it turned to face him. Looking at the berry expectantly, the boy smiled and offered it. The Venipede took it with slight hesitation, and started to eat it. But it paused at some point, and looked back up at the boy.
Carefully, it crawled onto his lap before continuing to eat the berry, seemingly content with this stranger. Caleb smiled and started to pet it, which made it… pur. It was weird for a bug to pur, but stranger things have happened.
The rest of Caleb’s group all emerged from the bushes, and looked at the insect with wide eyes.
”This is what you were after?” Dave asked.
”Yes…” Caleb said. “But… This one is shiny…”
”Shiny?” Barranco asked as he looked the bug over. “What’s that mean?”
”Basically that they have a colour that isn’t the same as the other of their species. It’s super rare to find one, so… yeah…” He looked down at the bug, and smiled as it looked back up at him. “Do you want to tag along with us? I promise that you’ll have an amazing home.”
The Venipede’s eyes sparkled, and without hesitation, it headbutted the Pokéball Caleb had on him. The group’s eyes all bugged out as the ball shook three times, then clicked to signify a successful catch. Caleb picked up the ball and looked at it, tilting his head and smiling.
”Welcome to the family, Bugsy.”
The egg bounced back onto Caleb’s lap, which made the boy smile and laugh. He stood back up, and clicked the now occupied Pokéball onto his bag. As he adjusted himself, the Pokéball opened and out came Bugsy, staying close to Caleb’s side.
”For what’s supposed to be some kind of centipede”, Laney said, leaning down and petting the insect. “It’s pretty cute.”
Bugsy purred at the attention, and as the bassist gave all the attention to the two Pokémon, Dave opened up the map and looked it over. “Okay, so is there anything else we need here, Caleb? Because I would like to check out this massive desert Route 4 cuts through.”
”We’ll get there eventually”, the boy said as he looked around. “There’s a spot here that has a really special Pokémon, and I want to see if it’s here…”
”Is it one of those legendaries I hear so much about?” Barranco asked, peering around to make sure no one had heard them. “Because if it is, then that’s gonna be a massive hassle to try and catch it.”
”I know… But I’m willing to at least try.” The boy stood up and started to walk to where he assumed this legendary was. The others all followed behind, Bugsy staying close to Caleb. As they walked, the egg started to get warmer, to the point Caleb and the others were starting to get a bit uncomfortable.
”Okay, what’s going on with that egg?” Gladius asked, sounding a bit worried. “I fear it might burn the forest down.”
”Well, if my intuition is right…” Caleb trailed off when the egg cracked a bit, and he beamed. “It’s hatching!”
The egg shook as it cracked more and more, and Caleb held it out at arm’s length as the eggshell burst open.
Only the bottom half of the shell remained, and the others all gasped at the sight. It was some sort of worm, with a brown back end, white fluff around the head, short black stubby legs, and five wavy red horns around the head. The obvious bug opened its blue eyes, and looked up at Caleb.
”Hey there…” The bespectacled boy said sweetly. He pet its head, and the little bug let out a happy squeal. Bugsy looked up in curiosity, and crawled up Caleb’s back to see this new face.
”What Pokémon is this, Caleb?” Barranco asked.
”Larvesta.” He set it down, and the two bugs, both around the same size, started to mingle and check each other out. “It’ll evolve into something crazy powerful in the future, just you guys wait.” The boy pulled out a ball, and knelt down. The Larvesta looked up, and headbutted the Luxury Ball, willingly letting itself get caught like Bugsy. “Welcome to the family, Sol!”
Immediately, Caleb let Sol out of the ball, and both him and Bugsy continued to mingle, forming an immediate bond. Purdy, watching everything from a happy Zap’s back, hopped onto the ground and walked over to the other fluffy being. Sol looked over, and let the kitten sniff him over, seemingly content with this.
”Okay, how about we split up a bit”, Caleb said. “Dave, Barranco, you two are tagging along with me. Laney, Gladius? I want you two to stay here and keep an eye on all the riff-raff. It’d be better to do what I need to without all nine of us there.”
”That’s cool”, the bassist said. “You three go and have fun being ripped apart.” She led their group towards a clearing right beside the main road, and sat on the grass as the remaining trio headed past her and over a fence on the other side of the road. They took a very overgrown but still clearly there trail that went deeper into Pinwheel Forest than what was clearly intended.
”Okay… So what are we looking for exactly?” Dave asked, careful not to disturb the wilderness. “Because if you want us to go after some sort of nature spirit, walking this far into the woods will get us killed.”
”I just want to check this out…” Caleb and his companions poked their heads through a bush, and were taken in with the beauty of a serene field that sparkled in the sunlight. There was no Pokémon in sight… Except for not that resembled a green elk with pink accents.
”What is that…” Barranco asked in a near whisper.
”Virizion”, Caleb whispered back. “One of the three Swords Of Justice…”
”That’s a very welcoming group name”, Dave hissed sarcastically. “I say we just go.”
Caleb looked at him weirdly. “You and Barranco are basically invincible, why are you so freaked out?”
”Because you aren’t invincible-” Dave was cut off when the branch he was leaning on broke, and he fell forward into the field. Virizion looked over, a steely look on its face as Caleb’s and Barranco rushed over to help their friend back up.
”Sorry, we didn’t mean to bother you…” Caleb mumbled. The trio were about to head back, only to stop when Caleb froze. His hair stood on end, feeling the Sword Of Justice right behind him. It was sniffing him, seemingly checking something out about him.
After a moment, the presence was gone, and the trio turned around. They saw that the legendary was gone, and in the middle of the field was another egg. Only instead of the classic white with green spots, it was something that more resembled Virizion. Curiosity peaked, Caleb walked over and knelt before the newly appeared egg.
”Guess it’s a gift from that elk guy”, Barranco said thoughtfully. “So since we have that, can we get going?”
Caleb picked up the egg and nodded, heading back to the others. The trek through the forest was a lot smoother than before, and soon enough the group was all back together again. As Laney brushed off her pants of all the grass, she took notice of the new egg Caleb was holding.
”Is this gonna be a thing now?” She asked.
The boy looked down at the egg in his arms. “Maybe for one of the other ones I wanted to find, but not the others, that’s for sure.”
The group all started towards the exit of the forest, walking past some occasional trainers. Zap, Sol and Bugsy started to get a bit uncomfortable with all the unfamiliar humans, so Caleb and Laney got them in their Pokéballs quickly. Purdy returned to her spot on top of Caleb’s head as the group all made it out of the forest, finding themselves on a small cement patio of some kind.
To their left was the entrance to the pedestrian walkway that went over a bridge that went across the channel from the leftmost peninsula to the central one. Across the water was a massive city, which was Castelia according to the map.
”Well, this’ll certainly be a fun trip”, Barranco said as he folded the map up after he took it from Dave. “A big city we can easily get lost in, just what we needed.”
”There isn’t really anything of interest in Castelia that concerns us anyway”, Caleb said. “If we take any of the main roads all the way north, we’ll get to the gate that leads to Route 4 in no time.”
”Good to no”, Dave said slowly and he snagged the map back. The Rabbid rolled his eyes, and the group all continued into the gate and crossed the bridge, which Caleb said was the Sky Arrow Bridge. As the group headed over the pedestrian walkway, over the rushing traffic on the road below, Caleb pointed out the distant Marvellous Bridge, which was visible further north.
Barranco took pictures of all the sights, absolutely enamoured. Laney was smiling, holding Zap’s Pokéball close to her chest as she looked up to the sky to see a swarm of bird Pokémon fly by overhead. Dave was charting out a course for their map, and Gladius was flying about lazily.
Caleb closed his eyes and took a deep breath, taking a deep breath. Already, this day was going perfectly.
And his smile only grew as the egg wiggled about happily.
~X~
Cutting through Castelia quickly, the group soon arrived at Route 4. But much to Dave’s sadness, it was mostly just desert with some abandoned construction equipment. Caleb said how this was meant to be a through road that connected Nimbasa and Castelia, but because of its close proximity to the Desert Resort and the running of the Relic Castle, the project was halted.
So the group continued on, braving the sandstorm as they passed by some Sandiles that were just barely hiding in the darker patches. As the sandstorm raged on around them, the group pushed on till they entered the gate towards Nimbasa City.
They brushed all the sand that caked them off, and headed into the next stop. As soon as they did, the group’s eyes all sparkled and gleamed at the extravagant buildings that surrounded them, from sports stadiums, a massive theatre, and a subway depot. Off towards the left, they could see a mini amusement park with a towering Ferris Wheel.
”Okay, so do we just continue towards Driftveil?” Dave said as he looked at the map, then pointed to the right. “Or do we take a slight detour and head left to relax at the amusement park for a bit?”
Caleb hummed and pulled out his phone, looking at the clock. Gladius looked over his shoulder, and shook his hilt. “I feel it’s best we continue on”, the blade said. “It’s best we do all of this before night falls, so we aren’t stuck here for more than a day.”
”Good call”, Laney said with a nod. While she did seem a bit disappointed they weren’t going to the park, she was grateful they were at least being punctual. So the group headed right, cutting through Route 5, across the Driftveil Drawbridge, and then the next city. They did get stopped a bit as they checked out the market in Driftveil, but nothing really was attention grabbing enough to make them spend anything.
Except for the Sea Incense Barranco bought.
The group continued along, heading through Route 6 with ease. Sure, there were a few Foongus that nearly sported them, but Sol was able to jump out and stop the mushrooms from attacking.
That made Caleb realise they would need to train their Pokémon to hopefully help them evolve. So the group did take a quick break to help get Zap, Bugsy and Sol to a stronger form. As they trained against the wild Basculin, Emolga, Deerling and Foongus, Zap started to get noticeably stronger. And after Laney and the Blitzle bested an Audino, the zebra finally evolved.
The group watched in excitement as a blinding light covered Zap’s whole body, and when it burst off, Zap was now a Zebstrika, with her beautiful double mane and spiked tail. The lightning zebra looked at her trainer, and nuzzled the bassist happily.
Around the same time, Bugsy was able to evolve, transforming into the wheel based Whirlipede, with a now deep lavender body and a vibrant green ring pattern. The now tire-like insect jumped and spun like a saw blade, her horns slicing through the air. When she stopped, Caleb walked over and started to pet her, making the now curled centipede to pur. Sol looked awestruck, clearly excited for his own evolution.
With that done, the group continued along their way till they entered a cave. Inside, there was this deep blue hue over everything, all coming from the electrically charged crystals that floated about.
”This place is so cool!” Barranco said happily. “I can see why they call it Chargestone Cave now.”
”The magnetic levels in here are insane”, Dave said as he looked down at a compass he was holding. The arrow was spinning around in all directions, seemingly too confused for its own good. “I can bet there’s gonna be a lot of Electric Types here.”
”Like that one”, Caleb said, pointing to the top of Dave’s head. The others all looked and squinted at what seemed to be a tiny, small, yellow lump on the top of the Minion’s head. Dave remained frozen as the small lump gently walked about, seemingly looking for something.
It was very small, barely the size of Anyone of their palms. It was yellow and fluffy, had two big eyes and two smaller ones, and even had four legs that ended in little blue stumps.
”What is that?” Laney asked.
Caleb lifted a finger just before the small thing, and the odd Pokémon crawled onto it without a care in the world. “This is Joltik!” He explained happily. “Basically think of a tick, but for electrical currents. It likes to latch onto Electric Types to just get some energy.”
”Okay, so it’s a pest”, Barranco said bluntly. Gladius bonked him on the head, making the Rabbid grumble bitterly.
”Say that when this thing evolves into an electrical tarantula that’s bigger than you”, Caleb said with a smirk, making Barranco freeze and twist his expression into one of pure horror.
That simply made the boy chuckle as he brought out another Luxury Ball and clicked it on the tiny insect. It was transferred in, and after three shakes it was caught. “And that’s Voltula down!”
”Okay, cool. What’s the next target?” Laney looked up at him expectantly.
Caleb looked around, and blinked when he saw it. With how he froze, the others followed his gaze till they saw what he was looking at. It was a pair of floating grey gears, both completely identical. They spun against each other, their faces showing the same empty eye, cross in place of the other eye, and small mouth that was forever shocked.
”That’s your next target?” Dave asked, looking at Caleb in confusion. “It’s just a pair of gears…”
”And my absolute favourite Pokémon”, the boy responded, setting the egg down and pulling out another Luxury Ball. “Klink.” The group all looked at him in surprise, but silently watched as he stalked closer to the pair of gears, readying a ball throw…
Only to quickly and suddenly grab Gladius, throwing the sword at the gears. The sword hit them hard, which gave Caleb the opening to throw a ball and catch the gears.
”And there’s Omni!” The boy said happily, running over and picking up the ball. “Now we’re good here. All that’s left is to go to the Celestial Tower and Victory Road!”
”Hang on…” Gladius returned to the air, looking a bit disoriented. “First, never throw me again!” Caleb hunched up apologetically at the shout. “And two… weren’t there eight names on that list? You’re one short.”
”Well… It’s because the last one is also a legendary like Virizion”, he explained. “But it’s one that’s a lot harder to find, because it’s constantly moving, and tends to flee from battle.”
Laney hummed in thought. “Well, you have a flying sword as a best friend. Maybe he can talk to this guy and maybe get another egg?”
”Maybe… But later. Right now, we need to get out of here.”
Everyone agreed, and they all started to make their way out of the cave. It took a while, considering we had to push some of the crystals around and head deeper into the cave, but eventually we were able to see the sun once again as we walked into Mistralton City.
The group all took deep breaths of the clear air, but did somewhat feel a bit of harsh wind. Outside of the city, in the next route over, was a very nasty looking storm, which seemed to be centred in at a tower not too far from the city.
”Oh my gosh…” Caleb said in shock. “This… This is what I needed! Guys, we need to get to the Celestial Tower now!”
”In that storm?!” Dave cried out in horror. “Are you nuts?!”
”Trust me!” With the Virizion egg close to his chest, he rushed through the city towards the storm. The others were panicking, but soon followed after him. Rain crashed on the ground and high speed winds rushed past as Route 7 was ravaged by the impressive but also terrifying storm.
Caleb fought through it, though, using an arm to guard his face as he approached the tower. Wild Pokémon ran for cover, and Purdy was hanging onto the boy’s back for dear life, her claws hooking into the shirt.
After what felt like forever, Caleb managed to get inside of the tower. He breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against a wall as he was soaking wet from the torrential downpour. Soon, the others were able to join him, looking like they went through a freaking war that was marching through a waterfall.
”Okay, we are never doing that again!” Gladius roared. “We need to deal with this storm, else we could be trapped here.”
”We need to get to the top”, Dave said, looking up to the ceiling of the floor. “C’mon!”
The group all started to climb up the tower, feeling the somewhat sombre tone as they passed by graves that resided in the tower. At one point, Laney was jumped by a sentient candle, and it caused this whole thing where it started jumping between everyone in the group with the intent to cause lasting damage. Caleb growled, and held it upside-down at arm’s length when he got a hold of it.
The candle was a little pudgy, with one eye covered by the melting wax, and the wick burning with a faded blue flame.
“Okay, if you tag along willingly, I won’t punt you out a window”, the boy said in a flat tone. The candle’s eye widened, and it looked outside to the storm that was still raging. With a panicked look, it nodded and gave in.
Caleb smiled and pulled out another Luxury Ball, and the candle willingly let itself get caught. He put the ball away, smiling bright. “And that’s Puddin’ the Litwick!” At all the weird looks he got, he gave a defensive look. “What?”
”Puddin’?” Laney repeated. “Why name it that?”
”Because I like the name, sue me.” There was a deep boom above, and the group continued to the top of the tower. They passed by plenty of graves, but while it was sad, it wasn’t the focus, so they pushed on.
When they reached the top of the tower, they found it calm, probably because it was the eye of the storm. But also because they were at the source of it. Above the tower’s bell was a being with green skin and purple spots, arms crossed as the lower half of its body was replaced by a cloud. A purple tail with yellow swirls came out from the back of the cloud.
The thing turned to face the group, and its gleaming yellow eyes shining above its spiked moustache. Two horns rested on its forehead, with a flowing lock of cloud-like hair to finish the look.
”Tornadus…” Caleb said quietly.
”Oh, a wind god, cool”, Barranco said somewhat sarcastically. “Excellent. Yeah, no, cool. Of course we gotta fight this thing!”
Caleb was frozen, unsure what to really do. “To be honest, I never really planned ahead for this.”
”WHAT?!” The others cried. They all just looked up at the wind god in terror, hoping it’d just leave them alone. Rather, Tornadus got closer, eyeing Caleb carefully. There was this glint in his eyes, like it knew who Caleb was.
And then it clicked in Caleb’s head… Arceus. The Pokémon God knew who he was, and was probably why his catching spree was so easy. So whatever was happening here was the creation god throwing the kid and his friends a bone.
Maybe as a sort of apology for what happened those three years back.
The wind god leaned back again and nodded, reaching into his cloud. What he pulled out was another egg, this time styled after himself. Caleb took it into his other arm carefully, now hugging both eggs close to his chest. Smiling down at them, he looked up at the wind god gratefully.
”Thank you…” He whispered.
Tornadus simply gave a curt nod, and flew off so fast it kicked up a massive amount of updraft. The group braced until it subsided, and opened their eyes to see the skies clear and pristine. They all sighed in relief, and looked at the two eggs, then out towards the massive mountain in the distance. Dave quickly took out the map and looked it over.
”That place is called Twist Mountain, and we’ll need to cut through it to get to Icirrus City”, the Minion explained. He looked at Caleb. “Anything we need to know about the mountain?”
”It lives up to the name…” was all the boy said. That made the group, even Purdy, blanch a bit, and they slowly looked back at the towering, oversized rock with a sense of dread.
“Is there a way around?” Barranco asked. Caleb shook his head. “Maybe there’s a cheat way to get through and not get lost?” A shrug, which did elevate a bit of the dread. “Could we ask someone?”
Caleb nodded. “Yeah, which will definitely help. But before we go…” The boy took his bag off, and carefully did it so the two legendary eggs were relaxing in the bag and safe. “Okay, let’s get this over with…”
The group headed back down the tower, making sure to be respectful to the Pokémon that have passed. It was sad, and did make Laney feel scared for Zap’s own well being.
After they left the tower, they steeled their nerves and headed towards Twist Mountain, ready to tackle the rest of their trek even if it cost them all their sanity…
~X~
Barranco was marching with a rhythm as the group finished crossing the Tubeline Bridge and took their first steps into Route 9. The trip there was a ridiculous one, with Twist Mountain being as much of a headache as one would expect, and the fact they had to wade through a marshland right after did really end up killing their motivation and energy.
But thankfully they were finally in the home stretch.
The group all breathed a sigh of relief as they looked over at the shopping mall that called this route home, and Opelucid just a short distance away from the gate at the end of the route. They could also see the massive mountain that Caleb said had the Pokémon League resided.
“We’re almost there, gang!” Caleb announced. “Once we get to Victory Road, we’re home free!”
”I’m looking forward to sleeping a whole day away”, Laney droned out in exhaustion. “Because I never walked this much in my life!”
”Maybe except what happened in the Convergence Universe”, Barranco mentioned off handedly. “Plus, I’m used to walking across whole states. So this is nothing.”
Dave eyed his partner in crime with a pointed look. “Yeah, the bags under your eyes say otherwise.”
The Rabbid looked suddenly on the spot, like he was guilty of a heinous crime. The others all rolled their eyes, and started heading down the road. Caleb adjusted his bag, the eggs in it jostling a bit. Gladius glanced at them for a moment, before flying forward a bit to look Caleb in the eye.
”How do hatching eggs work here, Caleb?” The blade asked.
”They usually hatch after you take a certain number of steps”, the bespectacled boy explained. “Sol’s egg hatched so soon because those treasure hunters had to walk from the Relic Castle all the way to where we found them, so they obviously walked a lot. That little munchkin clearly was just waiting for the right trainer. With these eggs…” He looked over his shoulder. “Who knows?”
”Maybe we can set up a spot for them in the Rec Room”, Gladius elaborated, sounding thoughtful. “I could ask to borrow some heat lamps, and we can see where it goes from there.”
”It’d be cool to have something like that… what did you say its name was?” Laney asked.
”Tornadus”, Caleb answered.
”Yeah, him. It’d be cool to have one on our side. A powerful buff dude like that helping us would be awesome.”
”If we ever face any sort of situation, it would be a lot of help”, Gladius said in agreement.
”I just hope all these guys like the Capital…” Caleb said with very slight concern. “They might not like the noisy city or busy courtyard.”
”I’ll ask Rainbow and Virus to give them their own room if they do end up antsy because of the arrangements”, the sword said firmly. “I can promise that.”
”Thanks Gladdy.”
The group fell into a comfortable silence as they headed through the next city, which was a bit weird. Opelucid was an odd fusion of its two versions from both Black and White, with a more modern and technologically advanced city centre and more natural and rustic surrounding area. It was fascinating, really. But it wasn’t much of the focus, so the group just headed through the city at a swift pace, following the roads to the gate to Route 10.
Heading through to the gate, the group looked up as they found themselves just barely under the shadow of the Pokémon League mountain.
”So… How are we getting into Victory Road?” Barranco asked. “Because I know you usually can only get into it after collecting all the badges.”
Caleb paused, his face twisting into an over exaggerated frown. “Crap. I never thought of that. I guess I just thought that because this place seems to be combining both versions of Unova, there’d be something we could do in Victory Road without needing to do the whole gym challenge…”
“Well, what were you even looking to catch?” Laney asked. “Because if it’s in Victory Road, then it must be really strong.”
”It is… I just don’t know if I can catch it anymore…” Caleb’s eyes showed a conflicted glint. “Maybe because the gates to the league were moved to the east side of the mountain, there’s something we can do here…”
The group decided to try that, which was better than nothing. So they continued along their way, passing the occasional trainer and some wild Amoongus and grazing Bouffalant. This was always a peaceful route, so it was nice to get one last bit of nature before they headed back home.
As they rounded a bend, they were glad to see no badge gates. Thus meaning there was just a straight path to a rocky slope. They all smiled and headed down the path, taking in the sights of the nicely decorated trail. Flowers of various colours liked the sides, with Petilil and Lilligant mingling with each other.
Barranco had to take some more photos of the adorable sight.
Soon, they had reached the old Victory Road, which was open to the public but blocked at the top of the slope to keep people from just walking to such an important building.
”Okay, so we’re looking for a short little dragon with black fur covering its eyes”, Caleb explained. “It tends to bite so, so be careful.”
”OOOOOOWWWW!!!”
The group looked over in shock as Barranco jumped a few feet in the air, running around as his hands covered his butt. As he did so, the Pokémon Caleb just described standing there with some of the Rabbid’s fur in its mouth.
”And that’s Deino”, the boy said bluntly. “A bit of a troublemaker… But still adorable.”
The young dragon looked towards Caleb’s direction, and charged at him. Caleb stepped aside, thus meaning Dave took the full force of the dragon’s headbutt. Laney took a step back so she wasn’t dragged into this little scuffle as the Rabbid and Minion started to fight the dragon with their bare hands. Caleb found it somewhat hilarious, but he also wasn’t a fan. So he picked the two of them up and threw them away, kneeling down and clicking his last Luxury Ball on the disoriented Dieno’s head.
It was caught after three shakes, meaning Caleb’s list was fully complete.
”And that’s Hydra”, the boy said. He put the ball away in his bag, and pulled the list out of his pocket. Pulling a pen out of his other pocket, he crossed out all the Pokémon on his list, smiling bright. “Now we can go home!”
”Okay, good!” Barranco said, a light smile on his lips. “Don’t get me wrong, this was fun. But it’s been such a long day, and I want to just go home.”
Dave took out his phone and glanced at the time. “Just an hour till dinner, too. So we’ll be able to relax for a bit before we have to tell everyone what happened.”
”That’ll be fun…” Laney said flatly.
Caleb chuckled, and looked up, petting Purdy gently. “Did you have fun, Purdy?” He asked the kitten. “Enjoy seeing all the new friends you’ll have?”
The cat mewed happily, making biscuits on his head as a sort of dance. The boy giggled and adjusted his bag, looking at Barranco and nodded. The Rabbid saluted, and pulled out a simple clicker. He pressed the only button on it, and a portal opened beside the group. They all walked through and had returned to the balcony of the castle, taking a deep breath at the familiar smell. As Dave and Barranco dealt with the card in the gateway, Laney headed off inside, holding Zap’s Pokéball close.
Caleb set his bag down, pulled out all his caught Pokémon, and threw the balls into the air. All at once, all the Pokémon were freed from their temporary residences. They looked at each other (except Hydra, who just sat down and scratched himself like a dog), then back up at Caleb.
”Alright guys”, he said happily, looking down at all of them. “Welcome to your new home!You guys have the whole castle and courtyard to explore, me and Gladius just need to get a spot set up for the eggs.”
Purdy jumped onto the ground and started seemingly talking to the Pokémon, all of them listening to her carefully. Caleb smiled as he went inside, carrying his bag with him. Maple and Z-Tron rushed out as soon as he opened the door, and the boy chuckled as he followed Gladius all the way into the Rec Room. Only some of the others were there, and they all waved at the duo as they entered.
“Jeremy told us about your little trip to Unova”, Steve said. “So I wanna know how it went!”
”me and the others will tell you at dinner”, Caleb bounced back cheekily. “Just gotta get a spot set up for these two.” He lifted the eggs, and headed to a table that Gladius was putting a next of blankets on. The boy helped speed up the set up, and when it was all done, he placed the eggs in the middle as Gladius flew off to get some heat lamps.
Caleb pulled a chair up and sat in it, leaning against the table and watching the eggs. He felt two presences behind him, and smiled a bit as Eva and Bonnie took a closer look at the eggs.
”What will these hatch into?” The Fitness Buff asked.
”A legendary each”, the boy responded. “So some really powerful new friends.”
”I did hear about most of these legends”, NightBon said in a sophisticated tone. “A fair amount of them are very powerful, so I’m curious to see which ones you were able to get.”
”You’ll probably be disappointed with one of them”, Caleb said with a slight giggle. “Because they aren’t all that impressive.”
”We’ll have to wait and see.” The rabbit walked off, and Eva sniffed roughly.
”Did you have fun?” She asked.
”Yeah! It was really fun. One thing I will say is that you definitely enjoy a lot of the Pokémon there. Could be really nice sparring partners, especially Sawk.”
The Raging Bull hummed in thought. “That does sound fun… I’ll think about it.” She walked off, leaving Caleb all on his own. After sitting there for a bit, he got up and left the room, ready to see what he was going to have for dinner this time around. As he headed into the hall, smiling as all his new Pokémon adorably followed Maple, Z-Tron and Purdy down the hall…
The two eggs shifted, and cracked the tiniest bit.
~X~
And thus ends a really long chapter. This was one I had a lot of fun writing, especially since it is a franchise I love dearly! Because, yes, Pokémon now have entered this AU. It would have at some point, considering how massive the franchise is as a whole, but it’s better to get it done sooner rather than later.
So yeah! We got multiple new faces: Omni the Klink, Sol the Larvesta, Hydra the Dieno, Puddin’ the Litwick, Bugsy the shiny Whirlipede, Voltula the Joltik, and Zap the Zebstrika. Plus the two unhatched legendary eggs. Each of them will play a role in this funky family, just you wait. The shenanigans will be fun~
Anyway, third chapter out, and including these ending notes it’s over 10k words long. Without it… it’s just under. Yeah, I went a bit crazy here, LOL.
Hopefully this chapter was fun! Look forward to the next one… some time.
Up next: When it starts to rain and everyone is stuck inside, Gladius decides to break out something he used to do with some old staff centuries ago… Trivia!
~Caleb~
Chapter 4: Did You Know It’s Trivia Night?
Summary:
When the day is slow going and everyone is unsure what to do, Gladius decides to set up a trivia day, complete with a full game show set up. Considering they have super geniuses with them, the group wonders why they’re doing this…
Chapter Text
Gretchen leaned against a windowsill in the cafe during a dreary morning, watching as rain pattered against the glass right in front of her face. It had been a few days since some of the others headed out to the Unova region, and the Pokemon that were brought back were already fitting in nicely. Everyone was happy to have them around, and the mystery of the eggs was exciting to everyone.
And the Pocket Monsters themselves were loving their new home, especially since they had three veterans to help them adjust to all this newfound luxury. Bugsy especially seemingly was getting a lot more comfortable with her new life, and based on how protective the other small gremlins were of the poison bug, there was definitely something else going on.
Gretchen sighed as she leaned back a bit, looking at the cafe’s counter to maybe see if her food was almost done. It was a slow day, the weather making everyone naturally more drowsy and lazy. Even with the newest additions, the day was very quiet.
The camper was snapped out of her thoughts when Zomboss sat beside her, stirring some cream and sugar into his coffee. “Definitely a miserable day, hm?” He asked.
Gretchen nodded. “And what really sucks is that me and some of the others were planning on heading out…”
”What were you planning on doing?”
”We were going to hit up the arcade”, she explained. “Then maybe try and check out that new pawn shop that opened up recently.”
”I heard the person that opened it is a friend of Ralph’s”, the zombie overlord mentioned offhandedly as he finished stirring. “I myself was planning to investigate, but it faded from my memory somewhat a day or two later.”
The camper nodded. “Yeah… But now all our plans are down the drain because Core’s sick, and if we head out in this weather it’ll just get worse. So… Now we’re stumped on what to do…”
”I’m sure you riff-raff will figure something out. Not a day passes here that doesn’t lead to all of us being sucked into chaos and carnage.”
The camper simply shrugged, glancing out the window again as the rain picked up the slightest bit, becoming more typical. She sniffed a bit as her nose got a bit stuffy all the sudden, taking a napkin form a nearby holder and blowing her nose.
After she was done, one of the cooks came by with her breakfast, and she slowly ate away at it as she listened to the methodical rhythm of the rain against the window. It was constant and relaxing, somewhat explaining why everyone was so lazy today.
Gretchen blinked as McGee walked in and sat across from her, smiling just a bit. “Hey there, Gretch. Have a good sleep?”
The girl shrugged in response. “It was okay. I left my window open, so a bunch of rain got in and started hitting against my lamp. I woke up at… 4 in the morning, and couldn’t get to sleep after.”
”That’s rough”, Zomboss said as he looked over the mine in his hands.
Gretchen rolled her eyes as the zombie talked to one of the chefs about one of the menu options. Seemingly unsure about what it was. She just brushed him off and returned to her own meal, letting her mind wander.
Elsewhere in the cafe, Izzy was sitting on the floor with all the still new Pokemon, smiling brightly as Merida, Majima and The Doctor sat at the nearest table. The trio were chatting amongst each other, before their conversation came to a screeching halt when Izzy shoved Dieno in their faces.
”Aren’t you guys gonna pet the Pokemon?” The wild child asked with a subdued grin. “C’mon, they’re all begging for endless attention!”
”I don’t know IiiiZZZZZZ-“ Merida squealed as Bugsy crawled up her back and started nibbling at her hair, making the princess stand up abruptly and look horribly uncomfortable.
Majima burst into laughter. “Okay, I’ll admit, that’s hilarious. I was weary of these little brats at first, but that is amazing!”
The princess blushed at the yakuza in embarrassment and anger. “Goro, I swear to Loki I will strangle you when this thing is off.”
”Oh relax, Merida”, The Doctor said, smiling as he pet Sol gently. “You should always be on guard, especially if they think your hair is this delicious.”
The princess growled and reached behind, grabbing the Venipede and bringing her before her at arm's length. Bugsy looked back at Merida with a slightly shocked look, before growling and glaring at her.
”Don’t you bloody growl at me”, the princess growled back. She put the bug down on the floor (moreso dropped), and glared at her as she scurried off, the bug’s tail spikes in a defensive angle.
”Oh… Merry…” Izzy said in a disappointed tone, looking at her partner as she hugged Hydra close. “I get you don’t like them all that much, but I just know that if you give them a chance, you’ll fall in love.”
The princess sighed and dusted her outfit down. “I know, I’d just rather not have those things crawling all over me like I’m a bloody playground! I deal with that enough back at Dun Broch with my brothers…” She trailed off when she felt something on her leg. Looking down, she saw Puddin’ looking up at her with an innocent look.
The princess smiled, leaned down and rubbed the Litwik’s cheek, making the ghost’s flame burn a bit brighter in happiness. Merida glanced up subtly and saw Bugsy eyeing her waringly, so the princess sat down and gestured for the bug to get closer.
Instead, all the Pokemon rushed at her and piled on her torso, showing her all the love in the world. Merida cried out in shock as she fell over, only to then start letting out muffled laughs as the pocket monsters besieged her with affection. Izzy smiled sweetly at the sight, while The Doctor and Majima started laughing their heads off at the scene before them.
Elsewhere in the room, Maria and Jenny looked over at the buried princess, and they both quietly giggled.
”They’re fitting in nicely, huh?” The wooden woman said to the teenage robot.
”I’m kinda surprised, honestly”, Jenny replied. “Like… They're basically wild animals with the intelligence of your average person. And yet they’re perfectly fine in a castle with a bunch of modern amenities.”
”Maybe it’s something in those… Pokeballs that Laney told us about. Or they just are that relaxed.” Maria took a sip of her decaf coffee, while Jenny took a sip from the oil can before her. “Maybe we should head out shopping today and get them stuff for their spot.”
”Ehhhhhhh…” The teenage robot glanced out the nearest window to see how the rain had picked up. “I’m honestly good. With this weather, I’d have a better chance of surviving against all my villains ganging up on me.”
Mrs.Sanchez looked out the window, and pursed her lips. “Good point…” She hummed and looked around the cafe, seeing everyone milling about as one clear thing was written on their faces. Boredom. “Do you think we should do something to just pass the time?”
”Like what? Watch another movie? At this point I wouldn’t be surprised we’ve seen everything this place has to offer.” Jenny rolled her eyes as she said that, but snapped her head over as Caleb silently ran in and over to the corkboard. The two women eyed him carefully as he stuck a flyer beside the one for the Summer Nights festival.
The others there all started to look over as he stuck the paper up and ran out, leaving curiosity and confusion behind. Everyone there shared looks with each other and distant neighbours, and walked over to check out the message.
The Doctor, with his usual flair, took out a pair of stereoscopic glasses and put them on. The others rolled his eyes, seeing as more of his incarnations were merging into this one self.
The Time Lord squinted as he read over what it said. “To all members of Caleb’s personal knight detail… you are invited to take part in a special event happening in the Council Room. Trivia Night! There will be prizes to win and fun to be had in this new event I, Gladius, decided to set up. And on a rainy day like this, it is perfect. P.S. I planned this a few days in advance, so when this gets posted, if it happens to be raining, that’s just a coincidence.”
The Doctor took off the 3D glasses and put them back in his coat. “A trivia night, hm? Well, that sounds fun. I have been in the urge to learn more about something new…”
”Screw the trivia, there’s prizes here!” Majima said in excitement, before shooting the others a competitive glare. “You all better watch out. Because I;m winning this!”
”In your dreams, Majima”, Jenny spat. “You’re up against two super geniuses and a robot with the mind of a supercomputer”, she gestured to herself. “So you better stay humble.”
”Says you, Ms.Gloat”, Gretchen said flatly. “Plus, you still messed up a lot back in your world. So don’t play this ‘I’m smarter than you’ card.”
The teenage robot looked offended for a moment, before glaring at the camper. This started a domino effect where everyone started glaring at each other as competition sparked in their eyes. The only one unaffected by this was Izzy, who seemed a bit conflicted.
Merida gave her a concerned look, and the Psycho Hose Beast waved her off while mouthing out a “Later”. The princess nodded, and the two of them left the room. The others followed close behind, seemingly ready to take each other on in this crazy game of IQ and knowledge. The rest of the group all left their rooms or the Rec Room, having seemingly got the same news.
Based on how they all shared a burning fire to win behind all their eyes.
Lefty stood off to the side and watched the whole group walk past, giving a flat look to a nonexistent camera and walking in the opposite direction. The black bear didn’t have the energy to deal with the group when they got over-competitive.
They saw how Mario Kart made the group. And Mario Party. This was going to get ugly fast, so Lefty would catch the bullet notes after the disaster came and went.
Meanwhile, in the Council Room, Caleb, Gladius and Katania were putting the last finishing touches to their decoration process. The whole room was topped up with soft blue neon lights, matching carpets, and all the counters were covered in black. At each seat was a small buzzer button, which Kat was just finishing up with all the connections to a big TV.
Caleb rubbed his hands together in a building giddiness, looking so excited. “Oooooooo, I’m pumped for this! Gladdy, this was such a good idea!”
”Ah, I just felt it was a fun event we could hold”, the sword said nonchalantly. “It’s been on my mind for a while, and considering today’s weather, it was perfect timing.”
“I still think you can predict the future”, Katania called out bluntly. “Unless Auntie Rainbow is really that predictable with the weather.”
Gladius sputtered in shock. “Rainbow only influences the weather sometimes! And that’s only in extremely emotionally distressing periods.”
”A bit on the nose there, Gladdy”, Caleb said with an unimpressed glare. The sword would blush if he could, so he just resorted to grumbling nonsense and flying off to finish the rest of the set up. The boy rolled his eyes, heading off to the door out of the room to decorate the other side of the wooden barrier. The trio wanted to go all out with this little bonding experience, which meant full decorating.
Clean up was going to be a nightmare, but it would be worth it in the end.
As the bespectacled boy added the finishing touches to the door, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. A lot of them. Looking to the left, he saw as all the rest of his ragtag group approaching, still glancing or glaring at each other with a competitive fire. The boy smiled happily and rushed inside the room, telling Kat and Gladdy to get into position.
They all hid behind a curtain that was surrounding the table the four gods usually sat at, falling silent as the others all walked in. For a moment, they all lost that spark, shocked at how decorated was, and slowly started to take their spots in the council seats. When they were all situated, the lights dimmed and two spotlights started to circle the curtain surrounded table.
”Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming down to our show!” The booming voice of Gladius echoed out. “Because today, to combat the boredom and rain, we’ve set up a special game show set up with wonderful prizes up for grabs!”
The group all shared looks as Katania’s voice suddenly sounded off. “We just ask you to play fair and with respect. Seriously, it took a lot of convincing Rainbow to let us use this room, and I spent the last TWO HOURS rigging all the lights. So please don’t wreck anything.”
The group all nodded, and there was a chuckle. “Then let’s get this started!” Caleb shouted, bursting out of the curtain and posing with Katania and Gladius. All three of them were dressed in formal attire, with Caleb wearing a black tuxedo set, Katania in a green-sparkle skirt and blouse combo with dark green heels, and Gladius was in a fancy dress shirt, the collar dipping down so his jewel could shine through.
Ralph snorted. “Going all out for this, huh guys?”
”Yep!” Caleb answered back earnestly, shuffling the cue cards he had on hand. “Because trust me, considering the prizes you can earn, it’s worth all the light and show.”
”What is the grand prize…?” Steve asked carefully.
”Excellent question! Kat, show the gang what they can win!”
Katania nodded eagerly and ran over to a large thing covered by a tarp. “Well, the grand prize is something special…” The general’s daughter said in building excitement. She pulled the tarp off, and the group all at the buzzers gasped.
Under the tarp was what looked to be a very, VERY high tech looking car. It was sleek, yet vintage. Like a modernised version of a convertible from the 70’s.
”This bad boy was commissioned by us for this exact instance!” The girl continued. “So whoever wins first wins this bad boy for your total and free use. Second and third places’ prizes are just as awesome, and everyone else will still get a bunch of cool stuff after all of this is said and done.”
”So don’t get discouraged!” Gladius said proudly, flying above and looking over the whole group. “Even if you’re behind in points, there will be ways for you to catch up, like point multipliers and bonus questions worth more points. But it’s all random, so don’t expect freebies.”
The group all remained silent as they mulled over the information, thinking over the possibilities. As things fell into an oddly tense silence, the three hosts of the whole event watched them carefully, exchanging nervous glances as if worried their friends would back out and thus put all their effort to waste.
But that was all thrown out the window when everyone started sounding off with their own cheers and shouts to get things started, everyone jeering playfully at each other. Or at least the hosts hoped it was playful.
Gladius cleared his non-existent throat, and flew up. “Then let the show begin!”
~X~
The game started off without a hitch, with points being given out to anyone who could answer. It was absolute chaos, as the group all tried to rack up all the points they could. Shouts of anger when those answering got it wrong, cheers when they won a point, a few insult matches when it came to intelligence.
It was getting brutal.
Obviously, Zomboss and The Doctor were in the lead, although as time went on and the questions got harder, they started to get more flustered at the failed answers. They seemed embarrassed and more frantic, which was understandable.
The only one staying completely composed at this point was Galacta, who seemed more interested in just participating.
Caleb quickly ducked when Steve lobbed a stack of oak logs at him, then glared at the crafter when he recovered. “Steve! One of the biggest rules in place is to not attack the host!”
”I feel like it’s deserved because of that last question!” The builder spat back. “How were we supposed to know Finland held phone throwing competitions?!”
”I did”, Noah said flatly with a shrug. “Turns out being a reality star has its perks. And it’s MOBILE phone.” He leaned back in his chair, before the bookworm and Steve glared at each other.
”Aw, c’mon guys, we should try and get along during this!” Owen said. “I mean, we were already on a game show, so we know we have to use sportsmanship!” His smile fell when everyone looked at him with a flat look.
”Yeah, the game show where you never had a chance to win”, Majima said bluntly with his arms crossed. “Where you had to eat random crap and had monkey shit thrown at you.”
Gwen and Courtney shivered as the bad memories crossed their minds. “Man, the less said about Skatoony, the better”, the goth said. “Having to wear that dump uniform and where I landed after just…” She shivered again.
Maria cleared her throat, and looked to the trio of hosts. “Caleb, maybe we could speed this up a bit? We’ve been at this for a while, and I’m getting pretty tired…”
”What, can’t handle a bit of trivia, Oak Wood?” Molten said with his twisted laugh. Maria whirled around and glared at him with a look that screamed ‘I WILL MURDER YOU’, but the wire amalgam was unfazed, just continuing to laugh.
Caleb sighed, rolled his eyes, and pulled out an air horn. As everyone started to devolve into petty arguments for the fifth time, he set the horn off that forced everyone to cover their ears. When he stopped, they all looked at him.
”Guys! I get this is a competition, but can we seriously cool it with all the arguing?! I love you all, but even I have my freaking limits, so the sooner we get this done the sooner we can wrap this up and send you all on your way. Kat, who’s the closest to winning?”
Katania, still a bit disoriented from the earlier horn, looked at the jumbo screen, which proudly displayed everyone’s scores. “Zomboss is currently in the lead with two points, just ahead of The Doctor and Noah not that far behind. Everyone else is behind with their own totals…” She collapsed on her chair, messaging her temples.
Caleb winced and looked back to the others. “Okay, I think we definitely need to get this done. So no arguing or anything, got it?” He got nods in return. “Good. Now, next question…” He looked down at the tablet in his hands, and he pulled a random question from his notes. “Next question: What Broadway musical required you to have a physical therapist?”
He looked up at the others, and they all silently thought over the question. There was no time limit, it was just till someone got the question right. After a moment, Hilda slammed her buzzer down.
”Hilda?” Gladius called out.
”It was Cats!” The young adventurer said with a smile. “I watched the DVD we had not long ago, and I watched the behind the scenes stuff after.”
”Very good! Alright, next question…” As Caleb looked for his next question, the screen updated to show Hilda gaining plus one point. Considering the grand prize was a special car, most of the group were wondering if winning it was so it could be a gift for Johanna.
Soon, the main host found what he was looking for, but Gladius took over speaking it out. “Where is the word Peach derived from?”
Almost instantly, The Doctor pressed his buzzer. “From an Ancient Greek name they typically used for Persians. Simply because Perians called it ‘persikon malon’ when they first taught it to the massive Mediterranean Empire.”
Star pouted and looked off. “This isn’t fun when you have geniuses as friends…”
”It’s just how we are, Star”, the Time Lord said gently. He was honestly pretty humble with all of this. “But now you know a lot of fascinating facts to help you in life!”
”Not sure where knowing where the word peach comes from will be like lifelong advice…” Rory mumbled, with McGee and Corey beside him nodding with clueless looks.
“Okay then…” Caleb gave Gladius an exaggerated frown, and looked for the next question. “What was prohibited for sale in the Disney Parks because Walt himself hated it?”
There was silence as everyone thought over what the answer could be. Questions like this were always the trio hosts’ favourites simply because it was one of the few moments of silence between the chaos. Kat herself looked particularly relieved as the sound came to a halt, clearly showing all these personalities clashing like this was… a bit too much.
After a few more moments of silence, the bespectacled boy found the next question. “What does the W in George W. Bush’s full name stand for?”
Surprisingly, it was Ralph who pushed his buzzer first. “It stands for Walker!” There was a lull as he was rewarded a point, and everyone looked at him in confusion.
”How the heck do you know that, Ralph?”Jenny asked. “Even I didn’t know that, and I live in an American city.”
”During break days at the arcade I head to Wikipedia to just… learn”, the wrecker said nonchalantly. “It’s a fun way to pass the time.”
”That’s… probably the most surprising thing I heard today…” Laney said in shock. “Mo jab at you, Ralph, but I’d more expect you to look for Monster Trucks and sports and stuff…”
”Eh, I do sometimes. But blame Calhoun for wanting me to just have more fun facts. She egged me on, I cracked, and now I’m hooked.”
Caleb looked over at the massive screen, seeing Ralph’s placement on the leaderboard. “Explains why your sixth…” He mumbled. Gladius took the tablet, scanning through the notes to keep things moving.
”Moving on!” The sword called out. “Where did the term Bluetooth come from? This is a tricky one, so take your-”
”It was named after 10th century Danish king Harald Bluetooth”, Zomboss said bluntly after pressing his buzzer. “Seriously, some of these questions are much too easy.”
”Keep up the gloating, George”, Amy growled. “See how well that helps you after.”
”We will…” The scientist growled back, levelling the Girl Who Waited with a glare before facing the hosts again.
Caleb gulped as he shared a look with Gladius, and the sword nodded. “Alright, we’re going to do another lightning round. So be ready, and answer fast. We begin…” He glanced at Katania, who nodded once and started a timer. “Now!”
The chaos slowly started to flood back as the group all fought tooth and nail to try and get as many points as possible. Which led to a lot of shouting, name-calling and things being thrown.
”What is the proper name for an allergy to water?”
“Aquagenic Urticaria!”
”What coloured hair holds the most pigment in it?”
”Red!”
”Which Japanese politician thought staging a knife attack would help him gain sympathy?”
”Nitaro Ito!”
”What is a perfect number?”
”A number whose factors all add up to itself!”
“Who was the first president to be issued a legal penalty?”
”Franklin Pierce!”
It was a lot, but everyone was slowly getting into the groove of things, which led to the competitive edge slowly dissipating. All the insults and jeers were soon replaced with laughter, jokes and smiles. No more glares, no more frustration. At least, just for now. But luckily Zomboss was just one question away from taking the whole thing, so the hosts silently agreed to get this wrapped up.
As everyone looked at Zomboss silently, the zombie overlord eyed Caleb with the silent statement to ask him the next question. The boy nodded, and looked down at the questions. But paled at the one that was dead centre on the tablet screen.
Swallowing thickly, he asked the question. “W-When is… Is Father’s Day in C-Canada?” The boy asked, trying and failing to keep his composure. The others all winced at the question, then looked at Caleb in worry. No one seemed to have the heart or will to answer the question, which did somewhat get to Caleb.
Gladius looked down at the question, saw who submitted it, and sped out of the room to give the submitter a piece of his mind. After a few moments of silence, Zomboss pressed the buzzer.
”June 16th”, he said carefully.
”Okay! That means Zomboss wins, great!” Caleb said in a much to cheery tone. “He gets the special car, Kat, you handle the rest of the prize stuff, I need some fresh air!” Before Katania could even get a word in, Caleb was gone.
She frowned in worry as the others all started leaving the seats and stood beside her. “Is he going to be okay?” Buttercup asked.
”Hopefully”, Courtney said quietly.
”Who was the ass that submitted that question?” Majima growled. He stalked over to the tablet, and looked at the final question. The others all peered over his shoulders, and as soon as they locked onto the name, anger washed over them all.
”That guy submitted the question?!” Blossom roared. “I thought they got rid of him!”
”Maybe we should pay him a little visit…” Scrap Baby said with a dangerous edge, Nightmare Bonnie putting a hand on her shoulder to hopefully reign her in. Based on her flexing claw, it wasn’t working.
”Okay, guys, Gladdy already went to deal with it”, Katania said firmly. “Let’s just focus on getting this all wrapped up, okay?”
The others all begrudgingly accepted and let the ending ceremony roll out. But as the prizes were divided up, Maria and Manolo quickly left as soon as they got theirs and headed off looking for Caleb. They headed back to their hallway and headed past all the sealed bedroom doors towards the balcony, and immediately they saw the boy leaning against the railing, looking up towards the sky.
The couple both walked up and stood beside him, and no words were exchanged for a while. Just the three of them soaking in each other’s company, watching the blankets of clouds passing by. It was only a light drizzle, but darker clouds on the horizon clearly said more rain was coming soon.
Caleb let out a sigh and looked down, a bitter expression crossing his face. “I had a feeling something like this would’ve happened…”
”How would he have slipped a question like that in?” Maria asked.
”I don’t know. Gladius just set up a trivia box in the museum so anyone could submit stuff, and with all the questions we got there wasn’t really any time to shuffle through them all.”
”So that one slipped in…” Manolo said. “Why didn’t you skip it?”
”I just… I wanted to… But I also felt so stuck… Seeing it just froze my brain.”
”I’m guessing Father’s Day was a rough time for you?” Maria asked quietly, leaning down to look him in the eye.
”Considering my old life, yes…”
Nothing else was said as the trio fell into a comfortable silence, watching the clouds above, listening to the chilling winds and the distant sounds of the city. It was somewhat cathartic, and did help lift the earlier dower mood. As the next wave of rain came closer, Manolo and Maria led Caleb over to one of the tables, and they all remained under the large and secure umbrella as the water began to start its rhythmic pitter-patter on the cover above them.
”I hate the rain…” Maria said. “It’s the one thing I love about San Angel. The rain is so rare that my Papa still does a double take when it does hit.”
”You two are used to the heat”, Caleb said with a weak smile. “I’m still a winter kid.”
”You’re our winter kid, mijo”, Manolo said with a smile, ruffling the boy’s hair. Caleb chuckled, and smiled at the musician gratefully. Only to grunt when Maria pulled him into a sudden hug, which made the trio start a good laugh.
From the door that headed back inside, Gladius peered through. He looked a bit flustered, but relaxed when he saw his best friend laughing and happy once again. It was hard, but he’d do anything for Caleb…
~
Gladius held the once troublesome guard over the roof of the building he called home, the man panicking and pleading for his life.
”I have no reason to keep you alive, you complete waste”, the sword snarled. “Even though you lost your job and friends, you still need to put my friend down. You still need to be entitled, and act like you’re above others. How can you live with that?”
The guard could only mumble out a weak apology that could barely be understood. Which only made Gladius more angry. He threw the blubbering ex-guard behind him harshly, and flew over the crumbled man.
”Never come anywhere near the castle again. If you value your miserable life, you will heed this warning. DO YOU UNDERSTAND.”
The guard nodded in terror and remained there as the sword flew away back towards the castle, uncaring to the light rain that was landing on him.
~
…Yes, he’d do anything for Caleb. Just so he’s safe and happy.
~X~
Later that day, the castle was in peace. Zomboss was working away in his room as everyone else did their own things, with all of them envious but not all that upset the zombie overlord won the special car. But he seemed thoughtful when he received it, and almost he was plotting something.
It was known he has been working on a massive project on and off for the past year, but what it was no one knew.
But as Caleb walked past the door to get a drink from the cafe, the zombie poked his head out and smiled.
”Ah, Caleb”, Zomboss said with a smile. “I was hoping you’d be out here.”
The boy looked towards his friend with a questioning look. “What’s going on, Zomboss?”
”Come in here, I need to show you something special…”
The boy only looked even more confused, but still nodded nonetheless and headed into the scientist’s room to see what this mysterious project was. But he was stopped when Ruby popped in out of nowhere while Doom Kitty was right behind her.
Zomboss frowned. “What’s going on, Gloom?”
”I’m just a bit curious about what you were talking about”, Ruby said innocently. “And maybe if I could help you out in some way.”
The scientist pursed his rotten lips, glanced around the hall, then nodded. “But make sure your cat stays away from my delicate machinery. I mean it.”
Doom let out an offended violin noise, and Caleb laughed as they headed into the room, the door closing and locking behind them. Zomboss ran deeper inside, and when the rag doll girl and bespectacled boy shared a look, they slowly followed. Doom was right behind them, cautious but still curious.
~X~
And that’s Chapter 4 done! Sorry it took a while, but my creative juices were dragged elsewhere, like with art, and my own IRL stuff kinda derailed things a few times. Like my birthday on the 8th.
So yeah, this was just a dumb fun chapter that just was there for interactions and such, but the ending stinger is gonna set up the next chapter. Keep an eye out on that~
You might have also noticed I put out a few one-shots. They’re part of a new series I dub The Mess Left Behind, which focuses on the aftermath of certain big events. There’s only three so far, but I do want to try and make some more. Just want to get more out there before doing so…
More will be coming…
Also, special thanks to my friends Dobt, Ben, Auster, Camilla and PJ for helping me telling the fun trivia I used for the chapter! You guys rock, I love y’all sm!
Up next: Zomboss’ mysterious project is revealed, and what is revealed has the group reeling at their newest additions…
~Caleb~
Chapter 5: Mechanical Might
Summary:
After being withheld as to what he’s been working on for the past while, Zomboss finally shows the secret project he’s been tirelessly working on in secret for the last few weeks…
Chapter Text
Caleb and Ruby struggled to follow the zombie scientist through his absolute disaster of a room. There were unfinished gadgets and very dangerous looking equipment, with loose wires and exposed joints scattered about. The duo looked over to the right, and saw one of many cork boards that was filled with way too many blueprints, the handwriting such an incomprehensible chicken scratch that no one would be able to read it.
Doom, the far more confident of the three, jumped up onto what looked to be a robot arm hanging from the ceiling. The cat seemed content to just remain there for a while, but was scared off when one of the chains holding it lowered suddenly, spooking the animal off and onto Ruby’s shoulder.
The girl giggled as Doom let out a relieved violin strum, but Caleb was distracted with everything around them. The deeper they went into the room, he felt like the robot parts were getting… Familiar. Bulky arms started to get strange and broken chainsaws, there were makeshift flamethrowers and snipers, and what looked to be plungers.
The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as the trio finally caught up to Zomboss, who was doing some calculations on a console a distance away from four things covered in tarps.
Caled walked up next to the scientist and looked down at the screen, seeing all the complicated equations. “So what have you been working on, Zomboss?”
”Something very special”, he responded. “And back over the line, there’s high levels of voltage.” The boy looked down, and stopped Ruby from walking any more forward when he spotted a marked caution line on the floor. “That car was the last thing I needed to get these four lugnuts finished.”
”What does that…” Ruby started, only to trail off when she and Caleb looked to the right and saw the now dismantled trivia game grand prize. “Oh…”
”I needed very specific parts, and this way I don’t need to rob it from anyone else”, the scientist continued, eyes still glued to the screen. “And it all lined up. So now it’s time to get them fired up and ready for life.”
”What did you build?” Caleb asked.
”I heard of plenty of impressive robots over these last three years. But there were three in particular that I took an interest towards. And I felt something that we faced before could be an excellent ally.”
The others all shared a look and faced the four tarps in worry. Nothing else was said as Zomboss continued to type away on the console, doing something that kicked up the thick cables that fed under the tarps. Glowing blue pulses headed under, and the sounds of clicking joints and whirling gears started to sound off.
The tarps started to move as smoke started to bellow out from under one of the covers, with a blue light shining under another. Ruby and Caleb took a few steps back as Zomboss started to laugh, with the four mysterious inventions shifting and moving. Shadowed arms and legs could briefly be seen as the things under came to life, the movements only making Zomboss’ laughter louder and more crazed.
Sparks flew, metal crashed, and steam bellowed as the machines screamed to life, and the quartet were forced to shield their eyes when a bright flash and rush of steam blew past. As things calmed down, and the room cleared, Caleb looked up at the now uncovered robots, and gasped.
The first one was bulky, wearing a naval captain’s uniform, missing his left eye, and with a chainsaw replacing his left hand.
The second robot was cylindrical in shape, with a massive gas tank on his back and a flamethrower in hand. All the face had was two friendly yellow eyes on a black screen.
The third robot was on four legs, with large flat feet. The upper body was more human, although the clean silver head had a red scope covering his right eye, and a sniper was strapped to the back.
All three of the robots wore varying shades of purple with silver accents, with logos that weren’t of Z-Tech Industries, but rather the coat of arms of the Capital. But the final robot was nothing like the first three, as it was all too familiar.
It was a Dalek, only with colours and design features that made him line up with the other living machines. Rather than the plunger arm, it was a claw that seemed built for hacking and grabbing, while the singular eye was a deep and oddly comforting green.
Caleb, Ruby and Doom looked at the quartet of machines in shock, with the four now alive beings looking around their surroundings.
The chainsaw robot looked over at the four organic beings, and walked over with an orderly march. When he stood before the four, he saluted.
”It’s an honour to meet you, Master Caleb and Mistress Gloom”, he said in a firm tone. “I am Warlord General, and Zomboss built me and my comrades to be strong allies for you and the others.”
Caleb shook his head and blinked. “Yeah… I remember you. You… Pyro…” The boy pointed at the flamethrower wielding robot, “And Viper…”, he pointed at the sniper wielding robot. “You three are from the game Robocalypse…”
”You’re a smart lad, Zomboss made sure we knew that”, Warlord said, his visible red eye glinting with amusement.
”Zomboss told you about us?” Ruby asked.
”They’re all from an AI I made based on their origins”, the zombie overload said as he walked beside the admiral. “Warlord, Viper and Pyro were particularly easy, but the last one was… a hurdle…”
Caleb and Ruby looked over at the Dalek, who was moving over towards them. It was dead silent, its single eye studying them. The bespectacled boy started to get worried, especially when he looked down at the infamous weapon that could fell a whole civilization.
When the Dalek was before them, it lowered both appendages. “Greetings, Master Caleb”, the Dalek said in the unrecognisable voice. “My name is Dalek Vec, and I was looking forward to meeting you in particular.”
”Why’s that…?” Caleb said in a worried tone.
”As per my creation, Zomboss used some of your DNA to give me, as he said, humanity.” Caleb glanced at the zombie, who just shrugged as the Dalek continued. “I am aware of my species’ history and our violent temperament, but I assure you I am your friend. I wish to keep you safe, and hopefully you can accept me into your family.”
Caleb relaxed as Vec spoke, the emotion in his voice becoming more noticeable. Carefully, the boy walked forward and put a hand on the top of the Dalek’s dome, and was surprised at how warm it was. Caleb looked down and found himself staring into the blue eye of the usual killing machine.
It had this glint of safety and warmth, something familiar that made Caleb melt a bit.
Used some of his own DNA.
“So… Are we technically related then?” The boy asked innocently.
Vec somehow tilted his dome, and nodded his eye stalk. “I suppose so…”
Caleb smiled and took a step back, looking over the four robots. “Well, Zomboss, I’m pleasantly surprised! You definitely outdid yourself, and I have to admit that this was worth the secrets.”
”Why thank you, Caleb!” He responded with a smile. “I felt that we could use some new additions, and a part of me felt like we needed more heavy metal. So, this idea came to mind.”
Ruby walked up to Pyro, who looked down at her, both of them looking at each other with equal curiosity. “So you four are soldiers?”
”That’s right, sister!” Pyro said proudly, hollering his flamethrower and thumping his fist on his chest. “If you never have any issues with anyone, I’ll be more than willing to torch it to ash!”
”Relax, Pyro”, Viper said as he walked up, putting a hand on the pyromaniac’s shoulder. The sniper looked down at the rag doll girl with a reassuring look. “We’ll only act if needed, so don’t worry. Right now, we’re willing to find our place and fit in.”
”Well, why don’t we introduce you to the others?” Caleb said happily. “The sooner the better.”
”Hang on!” Zomboss said suddenly. Everyone looked over at him in questioning, but when he flicked a switch and a massive cylinder behind him. Magenta lines lit up, with the shape of a cracked heart in the centre. A bright yellow light flashed on high above, and the group all looked up to see the massive thing seemingly looking down at them.
”S-Star Dream?!” Caleb cried out. “Zomboss, you remade Star Dream?!”
”You know this thing, Master Caleb?” Vec asked.
”He should”, Star Dream spoke, its voice almost ethereal. “I am glad you recognise me, Caleb. While Zomboss was reconstructing me, I’ve been growing curious about the only true human in all the multiverse.”
”Why’s that?” The boy asked fearfully, Warlord putting a protective arm in front of him, Ruby and Doom.
”Because I wanted to know how much you know about me”, the super computer responded. “I am aware of how much you love the franchise I herald from, so I was simply curious how much you would enjoy my company.”
The group, minus Zomboss, all relaxed and looked up at the super computer carefully. “You mean that?” Caleb asked.
”Of course. Zomboss made sure that I had the free will, while also showing me the beauty of this world. So I wish to keep it safe, and hold that sanctuary in peace.”
Caleb smiled slowly. “Well, I’m glad someone as powerful as you is helping with that.”
Star Dream didn’t nod, but rather he unlocked one of his deactivated wings and angled it down so he could pat the boy on the head. Caleb giggled and watched as Star Dream lifted up just the slightest bit, making everyone take a step back. The super computer, now visible at his towering height, rotated a bit to face Zomboss. But his eye still seemed to be staring at the others.
”May we finally explore the rest of the palace, Zomboss?” Dream asked.
”That we can! Just be careful leaving my room, I don’t want anything broken.” The zombie glanced at Caleb and Ruby. “And I promise I’ll deal with the mess soon.”
The boy and rag doll shrugged and started to head out, Doom Kitty deciding that having a nap on Vec’s head was preferable to walking. The Dalek made no move to remove the cat, and rather seemed more content.
Caleb chuckled at the sight and headed out of the room, with Ruby and Vec right behind…
Only to freeze completely solid when he immediately bummed into The Doctor, who stared at Vec with a horrified expression. Caleb and Ruby locked up with wide-eyed expressions, while Vec didn’t seem to react at all. Doom, sensing the tension, scampered away to let things explode.
Things were deadly silent, the Time Lord slowly turning with a deadly glare on his face. “Caleb… What is that thing doing here?”
The boy looked between the bow tie lover and the robot, feeling the tension rise to an almost suffocating level. “Well, you see…”
You could hear the roar of rage from across the entire planet.
~X~
Everyone had assembled in the Rec Room to meet the newest additions, but things were still as tense as ever. The Doctor made sure Amy and Rory stayed as far away from Vec as possible as all the robots remained lined up before them all, Star Dream behind them. Zomboss was mumbling as he paced off to the side, and Caleb sat on the couch, looking between the machines and his family constantly.
“Sooooooo… These are they guys you were working on, huh Zomboss?” Ralph said, his tone laced with uncertainty.
”Yes, this was my secret project”, the zombie said. “I thought I could see how far I could push my inventing skills to the logical next step. And this is what was the result.”
The group all looked over the robots, but Caleb could catch them all quickly shooting repeated looks of worry at Vec, all except Ruby. The twenty year old swallowed nervously, his eyes darting about as he mentally thought of any sort of way to elevate the tension.
Vec seemed unfazed by the tension, but honestly it was impossible to tell the full extent of how he felt because of his lack of ability to really express himself. So it was somewhat unnerving to see him standing there, zero reaction to everyone’s distrust of him.
”I still can’t believe you made one of them, Zomboss”, The Doctor hissed as he glared between the zombie and Dalek.
The overlord raised his hands defensively. “I wanted to experiment, and Vec is perfectly safe! I designed him myself, using some of Caleb’s DNA to make sure it had some sort of humanity.”
Caleb paled as the others (minus Ruby) all gasped. “You did what?!” Maria roared, marching over towards him. “We’re not letting you weasel out of this, what did you do?”
”I just took some loose hairs that I found on my lab coat!” Zomboss defended fearfully. “Seriously, I wouldn’t do anything that’s put us in danger. I have Crazy David and his army of weeds, but I would never do that to you all!”
”Says the freak that brainwashed me and Majima”, Jenny said bitterly.
”That was before I joined, don’t hold that over me!”
Caleb watched as everyone started to devolve into vicious insults and furious arguing, with it mainly being Zomboss against the others. It was getting to the point that Warlord and Viper were backing up the zombie, offering their own two cents on everything. The boy then glanced at Vec, and saw the Dalek finally have enough and leave the room. He gave chase, with Maple and Gladius close behind.
In the hallway, Caleb looked down to see Vec head outside onto the balcony. Heading out, the Dalek looked over the courtyard with this sense of longing.
The boy sighed and walked up next to him, leaning against the railing. “I’m really sorry about that, Vec. You know they’re just worried.”
”I am…” The robot said. “It hurts, but I know their fears aren’t misplaced. Especially with The Doctor. He has lost so much to my kind, so seeing me here… It shatters the safe space he set up for himself, that he had for three years. No risk of death or danger, and the Ponds get a second chance after everything with the Weeping Angels…”
Gladius hovered around so he could look Vec in the eye. “I will say that I had no ill will towards you, Vec. I trust you, especially if Caleb trusts you.”
The boy smiled gratefully as Maple climbed into Vec’s done head. “That is appreciated, Gladius. I know my presence will take a while to get used to, moreso for the others. But thank you for giving me a chance.”
Caleb nodded, and relaxed against the railing. A sound came from behind, and he turned around to see Purdy, Z-Tron and all his Pokemon running over. Worry turned to joy as all the little critters started to look Vec over in awe, seemingly set on using him as a jungle gym. The Dalek seemed unmoved by the action, but did nothing to stop it.
Purdy pawed at his base, Klink and Z-Tron seemingly tried to communicate with the Dalek in a language only machines could understand, and the others all simply ran around and played happily. It did help lift the earlier tension, so Caleb took everyone over to the stairs and into the courtyard proper.
As all the smaller me members all ran off to do their own things, Caleb, Gladius and Vec headed down one of the trails. The plants were covered in dew, adding to the relaxing vibe.
”I am glad I can appreciate this beauty…” Vec said as he eyed the plants. “If someone like the Emperor or Dravos were here, they’d burn it all because of who they are.”
”It is sad how… disconnected and elitist the Dalek race is”, Gladius said with a sigh. “I am so sorry you have to be dragged down by the rest of them.”
”It’s alright, Gladius. I’ll eventually find my place here. The others just need time to adjust and see who I am.”
”Do you think The Doctor will ever warm up to you?” Caleb asked.
”Insufficient data to come to a conclusion. The Doctor is a very mysterious being, so I am unable to determine what the future would hold.”
”Fair enough”, the boy said with a sad sigh. “I just hope it’ll turn out good…”
The trio fell into a comfortable silence as they continued down the path. Occasionally they would spark up conversation, stop to look over a particularly interesting batch of plant-life, and even converse with any staff or visitors who came from the museum. No one else seemed to be worried about Vec, which only fueled the bitterness in Caleb’s heart because of earlier.
He shook that feeling away as they entered the museum, heading off in a random direction to simply pass the time. As they walked, the boy’s mind was dragged back to the argument, and how he just remained silent through it all. Internally kicking himself, he silently promised to do better.
”You don’t need to rip yourself apart over the argument, Master Caleb”, Vec said suddenly.
Caleb stumbled and blushed as Gladius looked at him. “How… How did you know?”
”As a Dalek, I have very sensitive scanners. And because of my heightened emotions, I can tell you’re still upset.”
The boy blinked, then looked down. “I can’t help it, okay? I literally did nothing, so I’m feeling kinda crap.”
”You didn’t need to do anything, Caleb. The others will come around when they want, you shouldn’t need to act as the great equaliser. You are only human.”
”Vec is right, Caleb”, Gladius said with a nod. “Everyone will butt heads, but this is a necessity if they are to accept our new Dalek companion. Just give it time.”
”I just… I hate arguments. I hated how everything fell apart so fast because of Vec, and I hate how I didn’t do anything, and the fight just made me really scared… God, I’m a mess…”
The Dalek and sword shared a look, then looked at the boy again. “Scared?” Vec asked.
”Bad memories…” The bespectacled boy mumbled sadly, hugging himself. “I remembered how my parents and brother would argue all the time, and it was always so scary. So whenever arguments get that bad, I just need to go. But I also want to try and stop it!”
Galdius put a reassuring wing on his shoulder, calming him down. “I know it’s hard, Caleb. And seeing a fight like that definitely didn’t help, but just know everyone is looking out for each other, and seeing a Dalek made by a supervillain… It just ruffled some feathers.”
Caleb sighed, and leaned against Vec as they continued along their way. “I know… It just really got to me. So Vec heading out was kinda my escape.”
Ven nodded, the internal whirring sounding like a sigh of his own. “I suppose I should just stay out of the way and by you till the others eventually understand I am here to stay.”
The other two nodded and the trio kept exploring the museum. It was quiet and relaxing, with the tension from earlier slowly dissipating. After a while, they decided to head back and see how things had changed for the others, but as they neared the hallway, they could hear the argument still going on, and growing in volume the closer they got.
Gladius groaned. “They’re still going at it? This is just sad now…”
Caleb nodded, but jumped when The Doctor walked out of the Rec Room looking exhausted. The Time Lord looked over at them, and let his gaze fall on the Dalek. With a light glare, he walked over and stood tall over Vec, the robot not making any move to get away or push past.
”Zomboss is adamant that you are safe”, he said with a stern tone. “But I don’t believe it. After everything I’ve been through, you honestly think I’ll go and trust a Dalek?”
”You trusted Oswin”, Vec said.
The air was frozen as The Doctor looked at Vec in shock. “How do you know?”
”I’m a Dalek. As an AI, I was allowed to watch your show… And I saw Oswin. She was a human turned Dalek. I am Dalek with the heart and mind of a human. What makes that different?”
”You… You just aren’t”, The Doctor deflected.
”But what about the hybrids in New York? The ones made by Dalek Sec? They were human with Dalek in them. So I ask again… How am I different?”
The Time Lord blinked as he simply silently stared at the Dalek before looking at Caleb and Gladius.
”Vec is right, Doctor”, Caleb said. “You gave them chances, showed them remorse when they died, and hope for things to get better. I don’t… I know and will be fine if you never like Vec. But you need to know he’s not dangerous. He’s here to protect us, not hurt us.”
The Doctor remained silent as he looked back at Vec, his fist tightening before letting go and becoming limp. “You truly promise not to harm us? That you aren’t here to start some invasion?”
”I promise, Doctor. I’m not like the Daleks you met in World War II. I am your ally and, hopefully, your friend.”
The Doctor leaned back, tilting his head a bit. Vec mirrored the motion, which made Caleb giggle quietly. Then, Vec held up his claw hand, seemingly wanting to do a handshake. The Doctor hesitated, but eventually complied. And nothing happened, the Dalek nodded after the shake and continued along his way. The Doctor watched him go, an unreadable expression on his face.
”Am I really willing to let a Dalek into my life…?” The Time Lord said quietly. “Am I actually okay with that?”
”You’ll get used to it”, Caleb said as he headed towards his room, patting the man on his shoulder. “I mean, I got used to you guys.” The Time Lord did a double take as Caleb flashed him a cheeky grin, before disappearing into his room.
The Doctor blinked, then let out a laugh. “Maybe so…” He headed back down the hall, intent on silencing the argument still ongoing, but as he grabbed the door knob, he paused and looked down the hall. Vec was looking back at him, with a look that said one simple thing.
I trust you.
With a nod, The Doctor headed inside, intent on fighting the others into accepting Vec’s addition to their lives.
~X~
And so ends another chapter of DCT2! This one added a few new faces, namely Warlord General, Pyro Assault, and Viper Sniper from Robocalypse (A DS Real-Time Strategy I adore), Star Dream from Kirby: Planet Robobot, and an original Dalek OC of mine. A bunch of new faces so expect a lot of them in the next few chapters.
But yeah, robot takeover. I know it seems weird, but I really wanted to give Robocalypse more attention, mainly because the first game has such a unique charm to it. As for the others… they’re just bonuses, lol. Just wanted some fun additions. So why not one of the most dangerous killing machines ever, and a reality warping supercomputer.
I liked how this chapter came out even if it’s a bit simpler than the previous ones, but sometimes you need simplicity to balance the complexity. So I see it as a necessary evil.
Anyway, I hope y’all liked this chapter! I’m excited to get to the big stuff with this story…
Up next: Merida and Izzy head out on a date, unaware to the fact that some of their friends are doing everything in their power to make sure it goes perfectly…
~Caleb~
Chapter 6: Bond-Fire
Summary:
It’s Izzy and Merida’s weekly date night, but this one is special as it signifies an important milestone in their relationship…
Kat’s gonna make sure it goes smoothly…
Chapter Text
Things slowly but sure did fall into a new normal. Despite the huge amount of adjustments, the mismatched family soon grew to enjoy their new mechanical friends’ company. Warlord led the charge as he helped the renovation crew get a room completely outfitted for himself, Pyro and Viper. Star Dream, due to his massive size and need to teleport, would simply hang above in the Rec Room, watching and learning.
Vec, meanwhile, had a special charging station set up in Caleb’s room. The Dalek requested this as to not have so much work put on a separate room. But Caleb could tell it was because even despite days having passed, the others were still not too comfortable with the Dalek hanging around. While some of them were warming up slowly, it was truly SLOW. So Vec felt it was best to stay close to the boy as a sort of safety net.
Caleb was really happy with how the robots were fitting in, and even with the Vec hurdles, things were turning into a new normal. The Pokemon were as lively as ever, and they were able to get their own little jungle gym build in the Rec Room. Star Dream would occasionally remark how it was cute seeing them play, though he did have a few instances of Voltula trying to sap him of his energy.
For a tiny tick, it sure was hungry.
Yeah, life was picking up once again. The classic chaos that followed the group wherever they went was crazy, some people would just leave, but for them it was love.
But one day, when everyone was just minding their own business, everything came to a screeching halt when an earth-shattering, rage-filled scream rang throughout the palace. Caleb, who was on a ladder in the library, still heard it loud and clear, and was so startled he would’ve fallen to the floor if not for McGee and Gretchen breaking his fall.
The trio all stayed on the floor for a bit before quickly standing up and brushing themselves off.
”What the heck was that?!” McGee cried out.
”Do you think someone got hurt?” Gretchen asked. “Because that wasn’t a good scream…”
Caleb blinked. “I think that was Merida…” He rushed out of the library and Rec Room, the two campers close behind. Heading into the hallway, they saw a few of the others were also spooked by the scream, and all looking at Merida’s bedroom door. Katania was there, and she went in as the trio from the library stopped with the crowd.
Kat poked her head out of the room. “Just give us a minute, okay? It won’t take long.”
Everyone nodded, and the general’s daughter headed in. Looking around, she saw dresses scattered about everywhere. On furniture, on the floor, even on the ceiling fan somehow. The walk-in closet was open and a mess, with various accessories scattered on the floor.
And on the bed was a very frustrated Merida, who was burying her face in her hands, and a sad Izzy, who was rubbing reassuring circles on her partner's back.
”You, girls…” Kat said as she sat next to the princess. “What’s going on?”
”Anniversary indecisiveness”, Izzy said in a sad tone. “Merry’s just having trouble picking out a dress.”
”And where to go and what to do”, Merida said bitterly as she suddenly leaned back and crossed her arms. “Three bloody years, and I’m already running out of ideas.” The princess stood up forcefully and started to walk around the room, not caring that she was stepping on the plethora of dresses. “I just… The more we spend time together, the more I want to make things special.”
”I know, Merry”, Izzy said, standing up and walking over to the princess. “But you don’t have to all the time! I mean, us just hanging out is good enough!”
”But Dr.C suggested you get out once every week, and I though today would be perfect”, Merida said with a stern tone.
Izzy frowned and winced. “Riiiiiiight… I for-got about that…”
Katania looked between her two friends with a look of understanding and stood up. “Okay, so it looks like you two need to go out and enjoy your date, and since you kinda need to… I’m going to help.” The girl walked between her two friends and brought them together in a hug. “You both deserve this day to be special, so no amount of arguments will get me to back off.”
The two redheads both blinked, shared a look, then looked back at Kat with nods. “At this point, I’m open for anything, so what the hell”, Merida groaned, stomping over to her bed and flopping down on her back.
”Well, first you two should get ready and get this place cleaned up”, Kat said in determination. “When you two are ready, meet me at the front entrance to the castle.” She smiled and left the room, leaving the two fireballs alone in the still messy room.
Izzy smiled at her partner. “Well, I’ll see ya’ later Merry. Look your best, I feel like Kat might book us a fancy dinner.”
The princess sighed, letting out a breathy laugh. “Aye, yeah… See ya’ later Iz…”
The Psycho Hose Beast left the room, heading into her own. The hallway was eerily quiet, which did make her a bit uneasy. But she simply pushed that aside and headed to her room.
In Caleb’s room, meanwhile, Kat peered through the barely opened door and watched as Izzy entered her room. When the wildchild closed the door, Kat smiled and turned around to the little team she had assembled.
”Alright, I want this to be perfect for the two of them”, she started, pacing before her team as they all sat or rested next to the room’s couch. “And I felt you all were the best help I could get with this. I have some ideas, but I need your help getting it all ready.”
She looked at her assembled team, which consisted of Caleb, Gladius, Star, Marco, Maria and Manolo. The groups all blinked, then shared looks with each other.
”You really want us to help you come up with something, Kat?” Caleb asked.
”Well, of course! You and Gladdy are my best friends, Star and Marco know a few things about matchmaking, and Maria and Manolo are married. Tiny guys are more than enough help!”
”Then why is Vec here?” Star asked, jabbing a thumb at the Dalek.
”I concur, I don’t see any reason for me to participate in this activity”, the Dalek said matter of factly.
”You’re here because as a robot, you can help us out with the more technical stuff. Like money and such.”
”But we have an infinite budget?” Maria said in confusion.
”I don’t want to go overboard and make our fireballs feel guilty. So we’re gonna budget and do this with a reasonable amount of cash.” The girl walked towards the door, gesturing for the others to follow. “C’mon, we gotta head to my place. Better room for planning.”
As she left, the others all followed after her, uncertainty but also excitement bubbling in them all. Manolo and Maria seemed the most invested as they followed the general’s daughter, ideas already formulating behind their eyes as to what to do.
Caleb, Star and Marco lagged behind the group as Gladius and Vec headed ahead, conversing between each other.
”So… Are you two okay with this?” The bespectacled boy asked carefully. “I know that… considering things… romance stuff is a bit iffy with you two.”
”Oh, yeah, no, we’re okay”, Star said with a reassuring smile. “Sure, it’s weird, but it doesn’t feel wrong. Sure, you’d think me and Marco would not want any part of this, but…” She glanced at her adoptive brother.
”But we like the idea of helping out with romance stuff”, Diaz said with a nonchalant shrug. “Like sure, I am still a bit off, but I also do just feel better about it all.”
Caleb looked between the two of them with an apprehensive look. For the three years they’ve been together, everyone knew that the whole topic related to ‘Starco’ really set the Echo Creek pair off. Star was always the one that had the more adversarial reaction, getting very snippy and sometimes frantic. Marco was more subdued, but seemed really saddened that because of things now he didn’t have a romantic relation with anyone back at his city.
Because while he didn’t make it known, it was obvious he didn’t keep pursuing a relationship with Jackie Lynn Thomas. There was just too much… Fog, related to all of that.
So things were really uncertain for him. Star, meanwhile, had recently started to get back into contact with Tom, and things were going smoothly with them. But there were still some hints of concern from the magical princess that it would all fall apart.
Caleb just gave them both reassuring smiles, and they continued along their way in silence. It was best to just let it go and let them relax. The boy, while he was still worried, didn’t want it to throw him off. So he stayed quiet as they headed towards Kat’s home…
~X~
Izzy and Merida walked out of their rooms at the same time, and looked down the hallway at each other. The wildchild was wearing a green dress shirt with a gleaming orange flower on the chest, with matching dress pants and black heels. Merida was wearing a golden dress with blue and black accents, her hair done up in a bun with a golden hair-tie, and with deep blue boots that could just barely peek out under the dress’ skirt.
The two redheads walked up to each other and intertwined hands, looking each other in their faces.
”You look amazing, Merry”, Izzy said with a lovestuck tone.
”Only want to wear the best for you, Iz”, Merida said back with a smirk. They both shared a kiss, then started to head down the hallway, hand-in-hand. As they walked passed the wall-length window as the orange glow of the sunset leaked in, they sparked up conversation about what they theorised would be their date.
As they neared the front entrance, they grew silent as staff they passed started giving them knowing looks. The two redheads looked at each other in discreet confusion, but when they rounded the corner, they immediately saw why.
Katania and Vec were standing before the open door, a limo parked on the front road. The girl was dressed like a chaperone with the Dalek dressed in a similar look that best fit his proportions.
”You two both look amazing”, Kat said with a warm smile. “Which is also good, because you two are gonna have one hell of an evening.”
”I wouldn’t expect anything else, Kat”, Izzy said with a smile. The two redheads stopped when Vec moved in front of them, lifting his claw up to show he was holding two necklaces.”
”These are special gifts for you both”, the Dalek said. “I constructed them myself as a celebration of your anniversary.” The two girls shared a look, then carefully took the jewellery and put them around their necks.
”You really made these, Vec?” Merida asked as Izzy looked at the emerald on her necklace with starry eyes.
”Affirmative. I hope they are desirable enough.”
The princess blinked, then looked down at the sapphire that was connected to her necklace. “Bloody ‘ell, Vec… This is amazing. Yes, this is perfect, thank you.”
The Dalek nodded his eye stalk and moved back beside a beaming Katania. “I am glad. I hope you two have a wonderful anniversary.”
”We will!” Izzy said cheerily, her mood a lot higher than before. She beamed as she hugged the princess’ arm and led her (more dragged her) out the front door and down the steps towards the limo. Caleb was standing next to the open driver seat door, smiling happily as the two lovebirds walked over. Vec hovered down and used his claw to open the door for them, bowing his eye stalk.
The twin redheads went inside, and Caleb ducked in and buckled up in the driver’s seat. He rolled down the back window and looked through the rear view mirror. “You two ready to get going?”
”You know it, CC!” Izzy called out, leaning against Merida. The boy nodded and rolled the window back up to give the two of them privacy. He started the engine, and started to roll the limo out of the front gate. As the vehicle drove away, Katania waved happily as Vec moved back up the steps and started to head inside.
”Do you think all the setup we did will work out?” The Dalek asked, pausing to look at the girl.
She nodded with a smile. “I know it will.” She headed inside, the robot turning around to watch the limo drive off. He hummed, then headed inside after her, the massive double doors automatically closing behind them.
In the back of the limo, Izzy and Merida were looking out the windows at the passing mansions as they headed towards the city. The wildchild was simply on her girlfriend’s lap, leaning against the princess and looking out with a smile. Merida was hugging her close, hand running through her hair and face buried in the crook of her neck just so Merida could barely look out the window.
”Merry?’ Izzy said in a happy whisper. The princess hummed in response. “Is this what you were hoping for?”
The princess nodded. “Completely. You always deserve the world, Iz, so I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy.”
”Remember what Dr.C said, though…” Izzy pulled back and gave her partner a stern look. “You shouldn’t kill yourself over this. Sometimes us just taking a walk in the courtyard is more than enough. So don’t try and bust your butt all the time.”
Merida’s lips twisted in a half frown, but she nodded nonetheless. “Alright, I relax with the endlessly spoiling you.”
”You better. Because your birthday is coming up and I don’t want to feel outdone.”
The princess snorted and let out a laugh. “Well, that’ll keep me excited!”
Izzy smiled goofily, then leaned in. Merida caught on, and the two of them shared a kiss. It was close to getting more heated, but thankfully they were stopped when the limo came to a stop. They both blinked and looked out the right side of the vehicle, gasping as they saw where they were.
Next to the road was an extravagant restaurant with a beautiful front area complete with a fountain. Couples and families heading wearing suits, dresses, and anything akin to that as a doorwoman opened the door.
”This is apparently the most extravagant place to dine in the whole city”, Caleb explained from the limo’s speakers. “I don’t know how to pronounce the name, so to avoid offending people I won’t. But it’s fancy, and Kat pulled no expense to get you guys one of the best spots. So you two enjoy yourselves.”
”Where will you go?” Merida asked, making Izzy pause from getting out.
”I’ll just head around back. Kat said there’s a spot saved for this very limo, so I’ll just chill there. Text me when you're done, got it?”
”You got it, CC!” Izzy headed out, holding a hand out so the princess could get out a lot easier. Merida smiled and gracefully took her hand, and when both walked onto the clean sidewalk, the limo door closed and Caleb drove off around the corner. They both smiled and walked up the polished quartz steps towards the front door. The woman there smiled and nodded and opened the door for them, and the couple headed inside.
The interior was just as extravagant as the outside, with a warm lighting you’d expect to find at a party under a starry night sky. Merida led the two of them towards the front desk, where a waiter was talking with a coworker about something. Upon the coworker looking at the approaching couple, he left and the waiter faced them with a jolly smile.
”Welcome to Herz der Kultivierung, madams. What brings you two to our exquisite restaurant on this lovely evening?” He spoke with a noticeable German accent, his smile not faltering for a moment.
”Well, we’re here because a friend booked a table for us…” Izzy said, looking around at what was visible of the restaurant. “We’re from the castle, if that helps.”
”Ahhhhh, mistress Izabella and mistress Merida…” The waiter looked down into a book and nodded firmly. “Yes, your names are on here! Mistress Kat is a common customer with her parents, so much so we hold special regard for them.” He winked at the couple and pulled out two menus and two drink pamphlets. “If you would both kindly follow me…”
He started to head into the restaurant proper, the pair of redheads following close behind. As they walked, the couple looked around the establishment in awe. It was so extravagant and warm, with people from all over the city enjoying a nice dinner under the glow of the candlelight.
The waiter took a turn and walked up some stairs to an area that was labelled “VIP Area”. Merida smiled and rolled her eyes while Izzy giggled, and they headed up and walked over to the table their waiter was standing next to. They sat across from each other, and then were handed the menus.
”I’ll leave you two to pick out some appetisers and drinks. And if you want any sort of alcoholic drink, show your server your ID.” He bowed and left, leaving the couple in the almost empty VIP area.
When he was gone, the princess looked at her menu as Izzy looked around. “Give it to Katania to spare no expense and get us the best seat in the house, huh?”
”Eh, I expected as much”, Merida said nonchalantly as she continued to look over her menu. “She wanted to help us, so something this fancy was always going to happen.”
The Psycho Hose Beast hummed in agreement and looked over her menu. The options were staggering, with a plethora of food from across the world. And as she moved over to look at the drink menu, the selection there was even more wild. All the drinks, both alcoholic and not, looked straight out of some science fiction or fantasy novel. Unbelievable, but actually here and looking honestly delicious.
The redheads simply sat there, occasionally sparking up conversation as they scanned over the food they wanted. They picked out their appetisers and drinks, and continued to talk as they waited. It was a sweet scene, especially with how all of the frustration in Merida’s body had long since washed out and let her breathe.
The rest of the dinner went by without anything of note. The couple ate and drank, maybe shared some very not PG comments to each other, and occasionally slipped in a kiss or two. After they were done and the bill was paid for (pre-paid by Kat), the couple stumbled out of the restaurant with goofy smiles.
Being the daughter of a warrior dad, Merida was a lot better at handling her liquor than Izzy, who was rosy cheeked, hiccuping and leaning on her girlfriend for support.
As they stood by, waiting for Caleb with the limo, Izzy started to drunkenly mumble something.
”We should TOTALLY get married”, the wildchild slurred. Merida, still somewhat sober, blushed viciously and looked at her partner with bug-eyes.
”W-What?” The princess said breathlessly.
”We should get married!” Izzy repeated, too drunk to register… anything. “That way we can do this all the time, we can sleep in the same bed, and have all the fun we could.” She hiccuped before she continued. “P-Plus… I want to be able to go ‘That’s my wife!’ to random losers on the street.” She suddenly fell silent, then looked at Merida with a lovestruck grin. “You know I love you, Merrrrrrrry?”
Merida blinked, still trying to process what was just said but still drunk enough to not care. “Yeah… Yeah, I love ya’ too, Iz…”
The two girls leaned forward to kiss, but were stopped when the limo pulled up and honked at them. They both paused, slowly made their way inside, and as soon as the door closed…
Well, Caleb both somehow paled and blushed at how instantaneous and passionate the couple suddenly became. He blinked and rolled up the window to the back, keeping his eyes glued to the road.
”Ooooooo-kaaaaay…” He said to himself quietly. “Here’s hoping they don’t make a mess…” He focused on the road ahead, but even if he was uncomfortable…
He was also oh-so happy for his friends.
A slight smile of surprise graced his lips as he overheard Izzy mumble “Marry me…” after all the passion was spent. His heart raced, excited to see how that plays out…
~X~
The following morning was one with the redheads suffering from a pair of vicious hangovers. Because, as it turns out, after getting back to the castle they both drank more.
Which meant nobody was to get in their way else they’d be folded like a cheap lawn chair. Majima learned that the hard way as he was rushed off to. Fix his broken spine, leg and arm.
Caleb and Kat, off to the side of the cafe, shared a fist bump as they saw Merida and Izzy quietly talk with the rest of Team E-Scope at a volume that wasn’t killer. The two redheads looked so done with life but well aware of what happened the night before.
And based on how they both blushed… They remembered what they talked about.
Caleb glanced at Kat and could see the gears turning in her head.
”Give them time, Kat”, the boy said quietly, patting her arm.
”What? I wasn’t thinking of anything!” She started to chase after her laughing friend. “I mean it! Caleb!” They both ran out of the room, ready to get on with the new day.
Merida watched them go with a curious look, then looked over at the bulletin board on the wall. The summer festival was coming up, and as she looked at the flyer, Merida’s heart started to race.
Maybe…
~X~
And that’s the next chapter done and dusted! Got some hints at what’s more to come, especially with the romantic end of things. No spoilers, I want some things to be a surprise.
But yeah, a Merizzy focused chapter! Had fun with this one, especially with the start. But I also was so freaking stumped coming up with a name for the restaurant, to the point it was the main reason this chapter took so long to release. But I eventually came up with ‘Heart Of Cultivation’, but in German. Yes, a name took me a week to finish the chapter. I am such an awful author, lmao.
Aaaanyyyyway… Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, gang! Sure, it’s a shorter one, but I sometimes feel like there needs to be some shorter chapters to balance the character and setting. Just how I feel about it, at least.
Up next: Feeling as though Caleb and Gladius aren’t living up to their full potential, Galacta and Warlord team up to train the boy and blade duo in some more practical combat knowledge, dragging in a few others with said knowledge for the heck of it…
~Caleb~
Chapter 7: Armed And Ready
Summary:
Warlord decides a good way to pass the day away is to train those with even the slightest bit of sword fighting knowledge, and train them to be masters. While Caleb is excited, the others… Not so much…
Chapter Text
The Capital was lively and bustling as always, with everyone going about their days and daily routines. The skies were clear, the birds were singing, and the sun was shining. But if you were to look over at the castle, the crown jewel of everything… you’d see something on top of the centre most spire, looking out over all the civilization like a protector, a watchful eye, or an eagle searching for its next meal. Something with elegant wings that people either feared or were in awe of.
But Galacta Knight couldn’t care less.
The mythic aeon warrior was overlooking this new world, a place he still was learning more about even three years later. He was a very quiet presence, always observing and learning. Which made him a bit of a feared being amongst castle staff. All of them were worried he’d lash out, tap into his almost primal power and shred the planet.
But the knight never could perish the thought of doing so, especially because he felt so much more free ever since being bested by Caleb and the others. We simply wanted to learn more to better protect his new life.
But he still didn’t blame the fear.
Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and simply listened to the sounds of the city, of the people talking, helicopters flying by, and the wind rustling the plant life. Then, when he felt connected with everything, he pumped his wings and blasted into the sky, creating a sonic boom as he did so. The warrior performed a loop before diving into the city, his speeds unrivalled as he cut through the air.
People in the city paused and looked up in surprise when the knight shot overhead, following the roads to a T. Galacta’s reflection followed him as he flew past glass skyscrapers. As he rounded the corner, he saw how he was approaching the mall, and thus the treasury. With no hesitation, the knight flew down lower, with people looking at him in worry, before he made a sharp spike upwards in line with the treasury. Employees inside were none the wiser, but the ever oppressive boss jumped and spilled his coffee as Galacta blasted past his office window.
When he got to the top of the building, the knight flapped his wings and rested on the top of the tower’s radio antenna. Relaxing his wings as he stood on the tips of his armoured feet, he looked back out towards the city, listening to all the noise and music once again.
This was how he spent most of his time away from the others, simply to let his wings flex and so he could take in the fresh air because of his unknown amount of time being imprisoned. He was free, he was loose…
And he was happy.
More than happy, he was at peace.
Taking a deep breath once again, he opened his wings to take off once again, only to pause when he felt a presence nearby. A familiar one from the one person who could catch him everywhere.
”Something on your mind, Flowey?” The knight asked as he looked down at what little flat roof there was. Said golden petal flower was looking up at him with a neutral look, eyes glinting with curiosity.
”Just came to check up on ya’, that’s all”, the flower said. “You took off so suddenly that I thought something was going on.”
The knight hummed. “I was simply letting my wings breath, Flowey. I still feel as though I am missing so much wasted flight, even after all this time.”
Flowey chuckled and looked out over the city. “I get that. Actually feeling the sun on my petals still feels like a dream…” He suddenly turned back towards the knight. “But yeah, I came here to check up on ya’. Oh! And also to let ya’ know Warlord wanted to talk to you. Later!” The flower dipped away before Galacta could say anything else.
Blinking at the now empty space, the knight looked over at the castle, and flew back towards it. Only this time he was heading towards the army’s hangar, flying over the courtyard as he did so. As he made his approach, the knight cut through the open roof, which was only open during clear sunny days so the trainees could get some much needed sunlight.
Landing in the middle of the training grounds, luckily not interrupting and training regime currently happening, he looked around till he spotted the chainsaw-armed robot pacing as he watched over some soldiers that were practising melee combat on some dummies.
He hovered over, and Warlord looked over. “Ah, Galacta, I’m glad Flowey got to you.”
”Yes… How did you find him and know he could find me?”
The robot shrugged as the two of them. “I was talking with Pyro and Viper back in the hallway with my plans for today, and that dang flower just happened to be right there and said you could help me with sword fighting.”
That made the knight’s eyes glint a bit in curiosity. “Sword fighting, you say?”
Warlord let out a loud laugh. “I knew you’d be interested! See, I was thinking about Master Caleb and Gladius’ skill with melee altercations.”
”They are very reckless”, Galacta said firmly. “But I don’t blame them. Gladius never had a chance to be free, and Caleb is still young who never needed to know.” A pause. “I’m assuming you want me to help them learn?”
”That is correct, but not just them. I was also planning on getting others involved who have some knowledge on that form of combat, and since you were already a legendary swordsman, I felt it was appropriate to get you involved.”
”I admire the foresight.” The knight paused for a moment, then nodded. “Very well, I’ll help you with this. Mainly for the boy’s sake, but a part of me has been getting somewhat craving to unleash some of my might.”
”Excellent. I’ll talk to Skye and see if she can set up an isolated, outdoor area for us, and you’ll go and get the others.” With a salute, Warlord marched off, dismissing his current class before heading elsewhere to find the fellow general. Galacta chuffed out a half laugh, and started to make his way into the castle. Heading into the halls, he found his wings subconsciously folding in, a tick he adapted since coming here.
Turning corners, the knight occasionally passed by castle staff, the variety of reactions just as he expected. It still did. Hurt him deep down, but he never let it show. Mainly because he didn’t know how to. Emotion wasn’t his strong suit.
As he neared the main hallway, he slowed to glance out at the city and simply observe. While it wasn’t like flying above the whole thing, this was still a lovely view that showed how much history this place had.
Blinking, he returned his focus on his task, and entered the main hallway. The others either could be heard in their rooms, their open doors helping with that, or were lazing in seating that was recently put out in the corridor.
As he passed by Iris playing with Bugsy and Hydra, the cyclops paused and looked over at him. “Whatcha’ doing, Gal?” She asked.
The knight stopped and looked over at her, the nickname always filling him with warmth. “I was looking to assemble our fellow sword fighters for a special round of training.”
”Ooooooooooooo!!!” The cyclops said in excitement. She jumped to her feet, eyes filled with stars. “Can I join you?!”
The knight blinked a bit in surprise. “You wish to join this?”
”Yeah! Ever since Maria told me about the stuff she learned at her school, I’ve always wanted to try and practise with a sword!” She started to pretend swing an invisible blade, making lightsaber sounds as she did so. Galacta watched with mild amusement, his eyes glinting.
”Very well, you may join us”, he said with a light bow. Iris looked over at him and started celebrating, with Bugsy and Hydra joining in. “Now, where is Caleb and Gladius?”
”Oh, they’re in the Rec Room. I think Gladdy said one of the eggs was going to hatch soon?”
With a bow, Galacta left the cyclops and two Pokémon, and headed into the main hangout spot. Looking around the room, he saw his two friends at the table that had the two eggs resting on it, the heat lamp still functioning properly. He hovered over, the boy not reacting at all.
”What brings you here, Galacta?” He asked, glancing at his friend with a tired smile. “As you can tell, just waiting till Viz finally hatches.”
The knight glanced at the green and pink egg, and saw how it was wiggling a bit with a few cracks on the shell. The other egg had a few barely noticeable cracks, but was otherwise no closer to hatching. “I see… You think it’ll hatch today?”
”Maybe… I hope…” Caleb sighed and leaned back in his chair, Gladius hovering over the two eggs almost like a mother bird. “How come you’re here?”
”I was looking to bring you and Gladius along for a little something. Warlord decided to hold a special sword fighting class with you two and others with similar skills. He wished for me to assist with the teaching.”
Caleb blinked, looking towards the egg thoughtfully. “That sounds fun… Sure! I’ll tag along! What do you think, Gladius?”
The sword hummed in thought. “Where will we hold the training?”
”Warlord didn’t have a location set up”, the knight explained. “But he does want it to be outside somewhere, isolated to avoid any bystanders getting harmed.”
”Then I’ll join as well. It will be good to get out and exercise, practise up our skills for when times call for it.” Caleb nodded when the blade looked at him, and Galacta nodded at them both.,
”Very well. I’ll meet you at the hangar then.” He bowed then left, Lethe boy watching him go before turning back to the egg. It was shaking more, and the cracks were bigger, but still didn’t seem ready.
”You think we should bring Viz’ egg with us, Gladdy?” He asked his companion. “I mean, if they hatch, then it’s just perfect because, you know, Sword Of Justice and all.”
Gladius hovered beside him, glancing at the hopping egg. “I suppose we could. If we set up a spot for it with some shade, then it can ‘watch’ us, in a way…” He jumped in surprise as the egg jumped happily in response, seemingly aware of what was said.
Caleb let out a laugh and stood up, taking the egg and hugging it close. “Looks like that answers our question! C’mon, we’ll snag some stuff in the hangar.”
The two friends left the room, leaving the others still there to watch their movie in peace. But unaware to them all, the other Legendary egg shook and cracked a bit more, the winds outside picking up speed a bit…
Heading down the hall, Caleb just barely caught a glimpse of Iris running around the corner ahead towards the army training facility, so he picked up his pace so he wasn’t the last one. He’d let Gladius hold last place.
~X~
In the hangar, an hour-ish later, Galacta looked around at all of the participants of this special lesson. Jenny, Manolo and Maria were stretching as a form of warm up; Gladius hovered around absentmindedly; Caleb (who was still hugging the egg close) was talking with Iris, who was holding the blankets and umbrella for the egg’s outdoor spot; and finally, Courtney was surprisingly tagging along, more curious about swordplay since the princess challenge in Total Drama Action.
The knight nodded slightly to himself, impressed with the turnout. He honestly felt no one would join, but when Caleb joined it was easy to convince the others.
As they all waited there, the sound of a truck horn made them all jump. Looking over towards the open hangar door, they saw Warlord sitting in the back of an army pick-up, waving all the participants over.
”Here up, everyone!” He hollered. “I want to make sure we have a good amount of daylight for this, so the sooner the better.”
The group all started to make their way over, the seven students all grouping up. “I’ll be honest, Court”, Jenny began. “You and Iris wanting in on this is surprising.”
The Ex-CIT blushed a bit. “Well… Ever since World Tour, I felt I needed a better way to let out my anger. Gwen pointed it out, how I‘m really…”
”Abrasive?” Manolo said bluntly.
The Type A sighed. “Yes. And too controlling. She used how I was in Action and after Greece as prime examples, and after my last time butting heads with Zomboss, she suggested I should take something else up that’s more in tune with what I need. And this is exactly what I need! But if it’s not sword fighting, then maybe some kind of martial art.”
”You did body a freaking shark for your final Action challenge”, Caleb said with a smirk. “And you took on Sierra in Greece!”
”Eva’s also helped me out a bit too”, Courtney admitted with a smile.
”What about you, Iris?” Maria asked the cyclops, drawing attention to the two of them. “How come you’re tagging along?”
”Okay, well, I told Gal this already, but I just want to be cool like you guys!” Iris said happily. “And I feel like it’s be cool to add to my skill set. Imagine the stunts I could do with a sword!”
The others all paled at the idea, but just smiled in a forceful manner at her. “That;s great, Iris!” Caleb said in a faux happy tone. “We'll definitely be looking forward to it!”
She beamed back and skipped ahead, holding the material’s for the egg’s spot tightly. When she was out of ear shot, the group all shared horrified looks at what this could entail, and simultaneously swallowed nervously before speeding up to catch up.
When they reached the truck, Manolo carefully helped Caleb up and into a seat, while the others all followed right behind. When they were all situated in their seats, Warlord waved his chainsaw off the side, and the truck started moving forward. Sitting at the spot closest to the head of the vehicle, he reached the others, who were all looking at him expectantly.
”Alright!” He began, his voice living up to his title. “Skye is letting us use a special training ground beyond the first few hills exclusive for outdoor practice with things involving more… volatile abilities and such.”
Galacta remained stoic as always, Jenny nervously giggled, and Caleb and Gladius shared a look of uncertainty.
”But it’ll be perfect for us! So, when we first get there, I’ll let you all get loose and warmed up before we start the first round. Then, after we’ll have ourlunch break, and then the second batch of lessons.”
”There’s food stuff over there for us?” Manolo asked. “Is that something you requested?”
”Something like that. There’s a smaller hangar there with a cafeteria, so our food is covered.”
”Sounds great!” Marco suddenly shouted as he poked his head from the top of the tarp over the group.
Everyone minus Galacta let out a startled scream, before looking at him in silent shock. “Marco, what the hell?” Caleb said bluntly, heart racing. “Where… What… HUH???”
”I overheard you guys were doing some sword practise, so I decided to tag along”, he said, climbing in and sitting between Galacta and Jenny. “I was Star’s knight for a while, so I know a thing or two about this sort of stuff.”
”You two still did that?” Galacta mumbled.
The Safe Kid blinked, his smile falling into a neutral look. “Yeah. It was the best we could so I could still stick around and stuff. So I learned a few things, and felt this was a good time to get out of the castle and just help my blood pump.”
”Still, you could’ve not given us all heart attacks”, Maria scolded. The boy simply smiled sheepishly, making the wooden woman roll her eyes and shake her head, leaning against her husband. “How’d you sneak on anyway?”
”I was already in the hangar to just check out what kinds of swords they had a while ago, saw a few missing, overheard Galacta and Warlord talking, and decided to stow away to act as a kind of surprise factor.”
Caleb blinked, then levelled him with a flat look. “Majima taught you that, didn’t he?”
Marco’s eyes widened, and he cleared his throat. “He might’ve…”
Jenny snorted, Iris giggled, Manolo shook his head with a smile, Courtney’s blank expression didn’t even twitch, Maria mumbled something about yelling at Majima later, Warlord laughed wholeheartedly, and the boy and sword duo both made an eye rolling motion. Galacta simply remained silent as he took it all in, his eyes glinting with a slight happiness.
As the truck took a more rustic road that led out of the army’s personal town next to the castle, Caleb found himself looking off towards the endless rolling green hills. It was cathartic and somewhat weird with how empty it felt, almost like the Capital was just planted down randomly one day.
Looking ahead as the truck made its way over one of the hills, he could see another fence topped with barbed wire in the distance. It looked a bit barren, with it just being a singular metal hangar in the back of the dirt patch. It was… bizarre, to say the least.
The gate into the area opened for the truck, and when it parked the group all climbed off. Looking around, the place was empty like it was from the distance, but there were some extra sheds, a watch tower, and a few trees with benches.
”I was told this was originally planned to be a part”, Warlord explained as the truck headed to an open garage. “But when plans fell through, they made it an extra training ground!”
”That’s interesting…” Jenny said offhandedly. She walked off to take a better look around, which was a sign for all the group to break off. Caleb, Gladius and Iris headed towards one of the trees and set up a comfy nest for the egg. When it was set up, Caleb looked at the shaking egg with a smile.
”You excited for when it hatches, Caleb?” Iris said with a giddy look.
”You bet, sis”, he said happily. Soon we’ll have another face to add to our little group.”
”Pft, little”, Gladius said as he crossed his wings. “If you say our family is little, then I don’t want to know what happens when we gain double the members in the future.”
”Oh you shush.” The boy gave him a smirk, with the trio all letting out a laugh. It was just then when a loud whistle pierced through the air, making them look over towards Warlord.
”Everyone, line up!” He barked out. The others all shared looks and made their ways over, lining up as told. Beside the robot general was the aeon knight, who was watching everything with a careful eye.
”Alright!” The general began. “We’re going to start simple and slowly go up from there. So, first, let’s see what each of you can do.”
He walked to the side and let Galacta take the centre stage, and the Knight pulled out his lance and pointed it at the students.
Manolo was the first one who walked up, and both he and Galacta partook in a short demonstration fight. The musician was fairly good with his two blades, especially thanks to his fight with Chakal. The others watched with rapt attention, with Maria clearly trying not to kill the mood by cheering on her husband.
After a moment, the two stopped when their blades clashed a final time, and Galacta nodded. “Very good, Manolo. Your father taught you well. Maria, you’re up next.”
The woman nodded and walked up, shooting her husband a smile before taking out her own blade and readying up. The group watched as she fought with Galacta, she was more elegant, but still had that edge to show she wasn’t just a trimmed rose. She was graceful yet with a certain kick that helped her stand firm.
Manolo smiled and nodded as Maria fought the knight, proving her skill tenfold. When the lesson concluded, Galacta nodded and gestured for Jenny to move up next. The teenage robot did so, and had her hand transform into a gleaming sword. She clashed with Galacta, her battle prowess focused more on broad heavy swings rather than the smaller, quicker strikes of the Sanchez’. It was fascinating, and Warlord, who stood off to the side, nodded while his arms were crossed.
Slowly, the others all showed off their skills, which ironically was in order of skill. Marco was next, and he was pretty good himself. All his time in the Neverzone definitely paid off.
Courtney and Caleb were okay, with the latter somewhat assisted by Gladius. But they weren’t great either, being fairly sloppy and uncoordinated. So they both needed work.
And when Iris threw her temporary sword, forcing all the others to duck and cover, Warlord and Galacta decided she’d need some more time than the others.
So the lessons started, which were fairly standard for the topic. Proper posture, hand and eye coordination, the different types of blades, all of that. It was slow, but it was kinda fun. Courtney was the most invested with the history side, Iris liked the flashy moves, and the others… Just kinda followed along.
Even with how smooth things were, there were a few hiccups here and there.
”Okay, no!” Maria barked, storming over at Warlord and getting between him and Caleb. “If you think Caleb taking you on is a good idea, forget it!”
The general scoffed, his chainsaw revving dangerously. “Maria, please. This is natural when it comes from training this sort of stuff. When I was built, I had all the necessary programs installed to ensure training regimes went perfectly.”
”Yeah, and shredding Caleb apart with a chainsaw is exactly what you need to do.” Maria crossed her arms, glaring at the robot fiercely. “You aren’t laying a finger on him.”
Warlord seemingly puffed up and stood tall, just barely over the height of the wooden woman. “Maria, I understand your concern, but just let me do my job.”
Maria’s glare became harsher, and the others all shared looks expecting a fight to break out. Caleb took some nervous steps back, Manolo standing in front of him protectively. Things were dead silent for a while, the woman and robot glaring at each other in such a way, the others were somewhat panicked the slightest thing would set them off.
And then Manolo took a single step forward, and the two glaring adults drew their weapons and aimed them at each other. The tension in the air became suffocating as a fight was directly gearing to breaking out. Things were getting out of hand, so Galacta got between them.
”Both of you, enough”, he barked, holding his lance between them like a gate. “Fighting like this won’t help any of us. Part of being a strong sword fighter is patience and understanding. So stop this now, and we’ll deal with it later.”
Maria shot Warlord one last glare, and put her sword away. She marched towards the small hangar, grabbing both Manolo and Caleb’s hands, dragging them off away from the general. The others all shared looks and followed after them, leaving the robot and knight on their own.
”They;d be tried for treason for talking back to a superior officer”, Warlord grumbled as he stormed off in the opposite direction, ready to get training dummies set up for the next lesson.
Galacta’s eyes flashed with a rare anger. “They had every right to criticise your awful idea. Caleb isn’t invincible, and your idea would have gotten him horribly injured, if not killed. It was reckless to even think it was good.”
”Yeah, I get that”, the robot spat back, shooting the knight a brief glare. “But it’s what my men go through when they’re training. It’s to make their resilience better.”
”But is Caleb a machine like them?”
Warlord paused, his body still as a statue. “Doesn’t matter.”
Galacta glared at the robot, but did nothing. “If you try to do that again, I will not hesitate to stop you.”
With that final note, the knight left after the others, passing by the egg which was shaking even more now. Warlord turned around and watched him go, his stern expression giving way a bit for guilt. He let out a sigh and went back to working on the next lesson, trying to clear his busy mind of anything foolish.
But it was hard to shut down your intended programming…
~X~
After the group returned from lunch, they all were assigned their own training dummy to practise their swings on. Warlord paced behind the dummies, barking out tips for good form and less spent energy, which was making the others more effective. While Iris was struggling the most, she was slowly getting a hand on things.
During a few times she would really struggle, Galacta would hover over and help her with a gentle voice. The others all there noticed how the knight seemed more relaxed with her, wondering if there was a sort of mentor bond growing between them.
But no one let it distract them. They simply let the idea pop away as fast as it came, their dummies taking on plenty of damage as the training continued. Warlord nodded happily, but he was still not happy that his earlier training was disturbed. He had this all planned in his head, dammit, and he’d do what he needed to!
So, when an hour passed, he walked over to Caleb’s dummy and shoved it aside. Galacta watched him with a dangerous glint, but the general didn’t move to act.
”Now!” The robot barked. “I want you, Caleb, to take a swing at me.”
The boy looked a bit nervous as he glanced at Gladius, but did as he was told. Warlord clashed his chainsaw against Gladius’ blade. “A good tip is to always expect the unexpected…”
Before anyone could react, Warlord delivered a swift punch to Caleb’s gut, making him wheeze in pain. The others all gasped as the boy staggered back.
”Warlord, what the heck!” Marco cried out. “Why did you do that?!”
”To teach you all to not expect fights to always go your way!” The robot barked back. “Life isn’t easy, get used to it!”
”But you didn’t need to hurt Caleb like that!” Maria screeched. “What happened to always serving him and keeping him protected?!”
Warlord was dead silent as he gave the wooden woman a blank look, before turning back to the wounded boy. “You’ll understand my reasoning after I finish this lesson.” The general walked closer to the boy, his chainsaw revving up…
Only to be sent flying back when a burst of green kicked him square in the chest. Everyone gawked at the sight of a green elk-like creature standing in front of Caleb protectively, her eyes glaring at the robot viciously. Looking over at the egg… They saw it was just a shattered eggshell now.
Caleb smiled weakly, still recovering from the blow. “Nice of you to join us, Viz.” Viz let out a cry, then glared at Warlord. The robot growled, but before he could even say anything else, the legendary kicked him again with her powerful hind legs, denting his body and sending him to the ground.
”Okay, honestly…” The robot said weakly. “I deserved that.” He huffed and sat up, looking at the Pokémon warily. “I can tell when I crossed a line.”
”Zomboss should really mess with your programming…” Courtney mumbled. “Just so this doesn’t happen again.”
”Maybe he should…” Warlord sighed. “Okay, yeah, lessons done for the day. We can head back now.”
The robot stood up and headed to get a driver for the truck, leaving everyone else to start giving their attention to Viz.
”She’s beautiful…” Iris said in awe. Viz smiled and leaned down, sniffing the cyclops and making her giggle.
Caleb smiled as Maria checked him over. “Are you okay, mijo?” She asked in concern.
”I’m fine, Maria…” He said with a light smile. “I’ll just be a bit more careful around Warlord.”
She hummed in uncertainty. “I don’t think any of us are going to let him get any time alone with you. Frankly, after today, I trust Vec so much more…”
”Yeah…” Manolo said as he brought the two of them into a hug. Gladius wiggled his way in to feel included. “Hopefully this doesn’t happen again, though. Because if it does, I’m turning Warlord into a pile of scrap.”
”Save me some of that”, Gladius said. “Felt so insulting to be tricked like that. I know Pyro and Viper will tear him a new one for that.”
”I’d watch that”, Courtney said flatly with a raise of her hand.
Caleb huffed out a laugh, and looked back at Viz, who was soaking up all the attention Marco and Iris were giving her. But as he did, his eyes caught sight of Galacta heading over to assist Warlord with the truck. Sure, today wasn’t perfect, but no day is.
And despite it all, he wasn’t afraid of Warlord. Just… hurt. And a bit confused. But things would work out in the end. Just needed some time, is all.
After an hour, the group were all on the truck and on their way back to the castle, with Warlord at the back this time. Caleb gave him a sad look, and walked over to him. With everyone else in ear shot, he knew it’d be okay.
”You okay, Warlord?” Caleb asked.
The robot sighed. ‘Just thinking, that’s all. I guess even though I was built here, my world’s programming still makes me no better than a swearing, snarky mercenary.”
The boy smiled and pat his chainsaw arm. ‘We’ll help you, Warlord. It’ll be okay.”
”I know, I know…” He glanced back at the others, who weren’t fully paying attention. “I just hope Maria doesn’t gut me when we get back.”
”I’ll talk to her.” The bespectacled boy walked off back to his seat, looking back out and smiling as Viz pranced beside the truck, Iris cheering as she rode the legendary’s back. Today was good.
Galacta watched it all, and under his mask, he smiled.
~X~
Chapter 7 is done!!! Some sword training can’t go wrong, especially since we got some Galacta focus. I loved the stuff I did at the beginning with the knight’s flight over the city. Atmospheric writing like that is so fun to tackle.
But yeah, this was a nice chapter to get done. Same old, I always say the same stuff in these author’s notes LOL. So yeah, hope you all enjoyed this chapter, hopefully I get the next one out before Halloween (Life is just really busy at this point).
Up next: Purdy goes on an adventure as Maple, Z-Tron and the Pokémon have to chase after her so the city doesn’t burn down…
~Caleb~
Chapter 8: The Pink Fuzzball
Summary:
Ever since being added to their lives, Purdy has been a constant source of endless joy. Sadly, the pink kitten isn’t the most aware, so her brothers Maple and Z-Tron tend to play the role of babysitters to keep her from getting into harms way…
Chapter Text
It was early morning in the Capital. The birds were chirping, the breeze was gentle and cool, the city was bustling with activity like always, and the group of mismatched personalities were starting to wake up and begin their morning routines. Caleb stretched his arms up high and got out of bed, heading over to his dresser/vanity combo and picking out his outfit for the day. With a yawn, he headed into the bathroom, not even acknowledging Purdy sleeping on the top of the door frame.
The pink Persian let out a quiet meow mixed with a yawn, stretching as she rolled right off. Thankfully, she landed on her feet like nothing happened, her small and innocent face looking around the dimly lit bedroom. Light poured in from the windows, with a waking Gladius making his way towards the door towards the hallway.
Purdy’s tongue stuck out cutely as she headed that way, only to be halted when something long and bendy wrapped around her body and held her up. Looking behind her, she pouted at the culprit, her brother, Maple.
The Wasabi Whip gave his sister a stern look, with their third sibling Z-Tron walking up and looking at the kitten with an equally stern expression. Purdy tried to wiggle free, but Maple was already too on point and simply tightened his hold.
Gladius, none the wiser to the little exchange, left the room and closed the door behind him, making the pink kitten deflate in defeat. She then glared at her brothers, who simply shared a flat look and roll of their eyes.
This was usually how it went with these three. They were super close the moment Purdy came into the picture, but the two PvZ associates usually had to play babysitter because their sister liked to wander aimlessly. Usually into any sort of danger that was possible.
But they were still a trio, one that did stick together when it was needed. Even with the Pokémon coming into the picture, they were always a trio. But also because of the Pokémon, Purdy tended to get into danger so much more because they could help her break away and out of her usual confines.
As the trio remained there, having their silent argument, Caleb walked out of the bathroom, freshened up and dressed in a set of lazy clothes. He looked down at his feet, and smiled at his three small companions. Kneeling down, he pet all three of them on the head, and gestured to them to follow and get breakfast.
Purdy was released, and followed her master closely. She usually stuck close and in sight when food was involved.
The trio headed out into the hallway, eventually joined by Bugsy, Omni, Sundra, Voltula and Hydra. Caleb let out a chuckle at the group behind him, and some of the others waiting outside the cafe let out laughs as the horde of small companions flooded into the cafe and headed right towards their little designated corner.
Their little corner was basically just a few small blocks of wood that were meant to stand in for tables, little plates and a custom food dispenser. The machine worked overtime giving all the critters their breakfast, each platter of food custom made.
As Purdy munched on her various meats mixed with seafood, her ear twitched. She looked up above her, and saw a fly buzzing around without a care in the world. It buzzed over and landed onto one of the wall decorations, and with her eyes wide, the Persian entered prowling mode. She abandoned her food and started stalking after the fly, which took off and headed elsewhere in the room.
The kitten was set on her newest goal, however. So she stalked passed the tables and chairs, all the rest of the ragtag family clueless to what was happening, and eventually made it to the window the fly was resting on. She hunched over, wagging her tail;, and pounced.
Sadly, the window was unlocked, so the fly lazily flew out of the way as the pink fluffball had careened outside.
Maple, Z-Tron and the Pokémon, who were all watching Purdy’s little hunt, all stared out the open window with wide-eyes. They all shared horrified looks, and discreetly made their way over to the window. The others didn’t really seem to notice the gravity of things, so the group of critters all helped each other and they looked down (except Hydra, oh the woes of being blind).
Down below, Purdy was perfectly fine, and was simply walking down the courtyard’s outer wall towards the museum.
Maple went into panic mode and rushed out of the cafe, Z-Tron right behind him the other critters not much further. This, the others did catch, and they watched them all run out with confused expressions.
”What’s going on with them?” Ralph asked.
”Maybe they say a billboard for some sort of park?” Eva said with a shrug. She got up and walked over to the window, looked out, and then froze. “Uhhhhhhh… Caleb, you might want to see this…”
Caleb was right by her side, and he followed her gaze out towards the outer wall. His heart lodged in his throat when he barely saw Purdy sit on the wall, and slip off the edge out of sight.
”PURDY!” He screeched.
As the cafe was thrown up in a tizzy, Maple and his group had made it to the museum in no time, and rushed through all the way to the public entrance leading to the parking lot. They burst outside, and Z-Tron extended the rockets in his feet to see if Purdy was anywhere on the roof. Heading up he couldn’t find anything.
Back on the ground, Hydra was sniffing around, trying to see if he could pinpoint the cat, but it was Sundra who found her. Pointing towards a nearby tree, the group watched as the cat mindlessly walked across a branch and fell off, landing daintily on the roof of a bus. Omni started to move over to her, but was too slow as the bus started to head off back into the city.
Z-Tron landed down next to Maple, and the group was at a loss. Purdy was now going to be lost in the most dense and maze-like city that existed, meaning she was probably lost forever.
But as they remained there, wallowing in despair, Bugsy spun around -rapidly and grunted. The group all looked at her, and she nodded at an empty, currently unused flatbed trailer. Maple’s eyes widened, and he nodded at the Whirlipede rapidly. The Pokemon moved over to the trailer, gesturing for the others to get on. They all did as they were told, with Sundra using her String Shot to create a tether between the trailer and Bugsy.
With everyone on and situated, Bugsy looked ahead, using her two sets of antennae to see, and revved up to max speed instantly. Without a second to lose, she was off, moving at a speed equal to the bus. Maple and the others all braced as the high speed winds beat against them, but soon relaxed.
The Wasabi Whip was in a frenzy, but luckily his brother was offering silent but calm reassurances. Omni, to avoid flying away or falling behind, locked into the trailer so the wheels would keep him turning and secured. Hydra and Sundra were huddled together, with Voltula latched onto the Larvesta’s fur since leaving the cafe.
As the critter group sped away from the museum end of the castle and into the city, there was chaos at the front of the castle. The dysfunctional family was in hysterics, rushing to get into the limo so they could split up in the city and find the missing cat.
”How the heck could Purdy even get that far so fast?” Steve asked frantically.
”I don’t know!” Caleb cried out, tears threatening to escape his eyes. “She loves to just vanish and reappear wherever, and while she’s pretty good being around, this is the most she’s wandered.”
Vanellope hugged his leg as Rory put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “We’ll find her, Caleb. Maple and the others are probably already on her tail, so we’ll find her soon.”
“I hope so…” The bespectacled boy Looked over to Jenny, Galacta and the Powerpuffs. “You guys are okay with being our eyes in the sky?”
”Don’t worry, Caleb”, Blossom said with a smile. “We’re on it.”
He nodded in response, and the group members who couldn’t fly entered the limo as fast as possible. Those that could fly shot into the sky and split up, with Galacta heading to investigate where Purdy was last seen, while Jenny and the PPG headed towards the city. Zomboss took over driving, and followed them down the main road as fast as he could.
Inside the vehicle, Caleb was trying and kinda failing at not breaking down under the circumstances. It was chilling how quickly Purdy vanished, and he could only hope they’d find her in one piece as he leaned against Katania…
~X~
The city being so alive during this sunny day, while it would be fine any other day, was a massive detriment today. Bugsy had stopped the trailer on a curb, having lost the bus Purdy was on as she led the trailer into the swarm of cars caught in traffic.
Sundra and Omni were above a light post they were next to, trying to see if they could spot the cat anywhere. Sadly, because of the tense packs of citizens, cars, and buildings, it was close to impossible. They both came back down and shook their heads at the group dejectedly, which made the Wasabi Whip and mini Zombot share a shattered look.
Voltula jumped over to them, looking up sadly, before an idea crossed his mind. With a few hisses and clicks, he explained the idea he just got, and considering the state of things, Maple allowed it. So Volt jumped up into the light post, used his fangs to burrow a hole into the metal, and started to suck out electricity from the power grid.
Now, Voltula wasn’t doing this to get a light snack. He was doing this so he could hopefully evolve, which would help out with the search massively. So the electric tick continued to suck away, feeling his energy building.
Outside, the others were keeping watch to make sure no one got suspicious. While many of the citizens just gave them weird looks, none of them made moves to call some sort of animal control or something. Maybe they knew they lived in the castle, maybe their wild appearances made them frightful enough for everyone to keep back.
Back inside the light post, Voltula was feeling full, but was still craving more at the same time. At this point, the whole block would be without power.
His fur started to bristle as he began to glow with a bright light, and let out a hiss.
Back with the trailer, the critters saw a light flood out of the hole Voltula left, and were forced to jump away when a now evolved Voltula exploded out of the light post. Now a bulky Galvantula, Volt crawled out and over to the others, terrified civilians backing away at the size of the spider.
Volt looked over the others and nodded, quickly scaling up the nearest building and shooting out some electrical web, moving to swing through the city.
Maple beamed and looked at the others, pointing out silent orders for the others to split up. Bugsy quickly rolled off, scanning the streets. Z-Tron and Omni headed off in a direction different to Voltula, and the remaining members of the group all stuck together and headed towards the crosswalk. They didn’t care about leaving the trailer behind.
Using his whip, Maple pressed the crosswalk button and looked at the passing traffic. But as the traffic light was getting closer to change, the light post Voltula burst out of tipped over and smashed into a parked car, making its alarm go off.
Panicked, the moment the light changed, the critters ran across the road, with Hydra being led along thanks to some of Sundra’s String Shot. Some of the citizens watched them run away, and one of them had the idea to call animal control.
With Voltula, he had latched onto the side of a skyscraper. People inside were horrified, but the Galvantula didn’t care at all. His many eyes scanned the city scape like a hungry predator, and soon enough he spotted a familiar share of pink amongst the crowds below.
Well, not fully. Purdy had somehow abandoned the bus long ago and was now walking across the awning above the sidewalk, not a thought in her head.
Voltula rolled his eyes and shot out some webs, swinging down to catch the cat. But a combination of Purdy jumping onto a moving delivery truck and a sudden rush of wind, Volt was thrown off course and crashed into an alleyway. He was somehow stuffed almost fully into a trash can, with only his legs free enough.
He scrambled out of the alleyway completely blind, making people freak out as he danced around, slamming into anything and everything. Sadly, he started going in the direction opposite of the truck before finally ripping the can off. People ran away from the thrown can, and the spider spun around and locked eyes with his air headed sister.
Purdy simply smiled and waved obliviously.
Hissing in frustration, Volt started scaling the buildings, running after the truck at his max speed. His claws dug into windows and walls, leaving behind a lot of damage as he neared his target. When he felt he was close enough, which was a lot harder when the truck changed lanes. But Voltula still took his shot and jumped…
Only to slam into the side of a semi-truck trailer that came out of nowhere.
The electrical tarantula was completely dazed as the two trucks went their separate ways, leaving Purdy to take another ride around the city. She looked around at the passing buildings, taking in all the bright signs and colourful characters. It was amazing! Her eyes sparkled especially when she spotted a cat cafe, and hopped off the delivery truck and onto a bush to cushion her landing.
As she headed inside the cat cafe, Z-Tron and Omni flew past just then, barely catching her pink tail disappearing into the building. They shared a look and flew down, looking through the front window. Purdy was somewhat visible amongst the other cats, already seeming to be the talk of the town.
The robot pointed inside and made other hand gestures at the Klink, with the gears looking uncertain. Walking in and taking a cat seemed much too risky, but considering their other options, this was the best idea. So they headed inside, trying to seem proper, but also discreet.
Z-Tron’s eyes were locked onto his sister, and he made his way past staff and towards the group of cats. But as he neared, most of them started to hiss and growl. The patrons of the cafe started to take notice, and the mini Zombot was starting to get nervous. But he pressed on and reached out for Purdy…
The cats lashed out and buried him in their collective vicious mass. Purdy was oblivious to her brother being mauled by a horde of cats, and seemingly decided to leave the building. As she started to make her way towards the exit, Omni tried to intercept her… Only to be stopped by the barely opened door. The gears panicked as he watched Purdy pass through the traffic-filled street with ease and vanish into an alley across the road, before turning around to get Z-Tron out of the cat pile.
Purdy wandered down the alley with zero care, unaware of Jenny flying overhead, just barely missing her as she headed into a box to see what there was. The cat left shortly after, continuing along her way, before she found herself in a plaza of sorts.
As she sniffed the pretty flowers, Maple and his little team all walked on from the other side. They scanned around the area, trying to find Purdy, but it was Hydra’s sense of smell that helped them locate her. Looking over towards a patch of flowers, they spotted Purdy minding her own business.
Maple’s face became determined and he rushed over, picking up the cat with his whip. Purdy meowed in surprise, then looked at her brother in frustration. Maple just glared at her, gesturing around at where they were. Sundra hissed bitterly at how tiring it was to chase her down, but she didn’t seem to register the severity of things.
But as the plant and moth larva chastised the cat, Hydra smelt something unfamiliar. Before he could react, he was swept up in a net, letting out a startled and frantic cry. Maple and Sundra turned around just as animal control trapped them in nets like the Dieno.
Purdy was more confused than concerned, but once she was stuck in a cage, she started to get scared. She was meowing frantically, pawing at her cage gate as the truck’s back doors closed. As she continued to meow, she looked across to Maple… and stopped.
The plant was looking at her with a blank expression, and looked away.
Purdy blinked, and her ears drooped as the problems finally came at her. She walked away again, and now they were all in trouble. She let out a whine, and ducked her head in shame, curling up in a ball and trying to sleep this all away.
Little did they know, Bugsy and Voltula had grouped back up and saw their family get taken. Seeing red, Bugsy rolled to find Z-Tron and Omni, while Voltula went to go and intercept the truck. As the Galvantula swung through the air, he made sure he was sparking with electricity. He started to move closer when he saw Bugsy, Z-Tron and Omni below on the road.
With now a vicious fire inside of him, Voltula jumped and crashed onto the top of the truck. The driver and his coworker in the cockpit were horribly confused, but when the coworker looked out his side mirror, he let out a squeaky scream when Voltula appeared and rushed at them. He scaled around onto the hood of the truck, glaring at both adults with an overprotective fire.
At the back of the truck, Z-Tron undid the latch to the back and swung it open, making the three captured critters squint. But upon seeing their saviours, they started wrestling to be freed. Omni worked on freeing Sundra and Hydra as Z-Tron quickly freed Maple and Purdy. The cat started rubbing up on the robot and Wasabi Whip, the message clear.
I’m sorry.
They both pet her, and jumped out of the back of the truck. Sundra and Omni were right behind, with Voltula jumping after them. The group all headed to the sidewalk, trying to catch their breath, but at the sound of distant police sirens, Volt put Purdy on his back and they ran into an alleyway. They ran passed dumpsters and miscellaneous discarded objects, but soon made it to another open road.
They stopped once again, but when a shadow loomed over them they all looked up.
Much to their relief, it was a trio of smiling Powerpuffs.
Bubbles was the first one to go down and start petting Purdy, while Buttercup hovered down with a smirk. “We heard you guys were causing a lot of chaos. But I can see you found her easy enough.”
”Yeah. I’m going to call Caleb.” Blossom pulled out her phone and quickly dialled up her friend. As they remained there, Purdy looked down a bit in shame. Bubbles caught that, and silently nodded.
”Caleb was worried sick when he saw you fall off the wall…” The blue clad Powerpuff whispered. “You really should be more careful, Purdy… You could’ve been hurt…”
The pink fuzzball looked at Bubbles for a moment, before looking down at Maple and Z-Tron. They both nodded, and the cat meowed sadly.
~X~
Caleb was showering Purdy in so much love after the limo swung by to pick the girls and critters up. As the boy hugged Purdy, Maple and Z-Tron close, the Pokemon all just lazed at his feet or next to him on his seat, exhausted but happy things were done. Voltula did get some attention from the others considering he evolved, but otherwise it was calm.
Heck, even Viz was there, laying down with Hydra and Bugsy cuddling up with her.
Kat pet Volt, making the spider let out a happy pur. “I gotta be honest. The fact that little yellow fuzzball somehow became this beautiful guy is still shocking to me.”
”Fantasy creatures are always fascinating”, Gladius said with a nod. “There’s no telling what each of them can turn into. Omni could become a walking machine, Sundra could be a living fireball, so on and so on…”
Caleb quietly chuckled as his three little ones in his arms started to fall asleep. “I know what they’ll become, and while I know you guys will love them… Bugsy might ruffle some feathers.”
Galacta flexed his wings as everyone looked at him in curiosity. “Whatcha’ mean by that, kid?” Ralph asked.
”She’ll be big, I’ll say that much.” The boy fell silent again and looked down at the three in his arms, leaned back, and started to doze off. Purdy’s purring relaxed him greatly, and after the stress and fear of nearly losing her, he was going to make sure she stuck close by. Or at least knew to be more careful.
Even if she was asleep, Purdy snuggled more into her master, feeling more at peace now. When they got home, she was going to properly apologise to her brothers and sisters about wandering off. She knew she had to, and she had just the idea on how to. But for now, she just slept, resting back up after taking on the big city.
And sure, they left their mark, but that just meant there was a story to tell…
~X~
And there’s chapter 8! One focused on Purdy, Maple, Z-Tron and the other little riffraff of this chaotic family. Now, why them? Well, I wanted to give Purdy the spotlight once, and I felt this was a great way to do so! She’s a bit of an airhead, with her head in the clouds, but when push comes to shove she does let her focus straighten out.
And I always wanted to explore more of the city in this sort of way, so a sort of “Baby’s Day Out” escapade was perfect for that! Not a lot of focus on the others, but that was needed sadly. Still, I had a lot of fun with this chapter, and having such little dialogue helped me try and flex my more atmospheric writing! Hopefully it was fun for all of you, I know it’s very different from what I usually write.
Anyway, with this chapter means we are ten percent through this story! It’s crazy how much has happened with this series, and we’re getting so close to the next big plot point that’ll really change things up! I’m so excited to get there, so just be patient and wait. I love all of y’all, so keep your eyes open…
Up next: With everyone swamped, Manolo and Maria decide to take the kids to the Capital’s amusement park for a day of fun under the sun…
~Caleb~
Chapter 9: Amusement, Shock & Awe
Summary:
Deciding to have a break while also helping with festival planning, Maria and Manolo take all the kids to the Capital’s ever newly opened amusement park, where endless fun is to be had!
Chapter Text
It was a pretty average day in the Rec Room, the sun shining through the massive open window. On the floor just in front of the TV, Vanellope was drawing random sketches with Hilda, Iris and McGee. On the couch, Ruby bobbed her head a bit as Corey and Laney quietly practised their guitars, and Gretchen was with the Powerpuffs trying to best one of the arcade records.
It was getting closer to when the Summer Nights festival was set to happen, so all the adults were busy with helping get everything perfect. Yes, it meant there were a lot of clashing ideas, but they did reach agreements eventually.
It was why all the young ones tapped out. They didn’t want to get dragged into flame wars, and didn’t find the idea of planning all that interesting. So they’d wait till they could do all the fun stuff on the day itself. So they found themselves trying to lazily pass the time, even though it wasn’t that effective.
Vanellope let out an impatient huff and sat up, dropping her crayon. “Okay, I’m kinda starting to go stir crazy. I need to do something more engaging or I’ll jump out the window.”
Her drawing partners all looked up at her. “Well, what do you want to do, Vanny?” McGee asked. “Because I’m having fun.”
”Anything that doesn’t mean sitting around here!” The racer glitched on top of one of the arm chairs, posing like an explorer. “We have a whole multiverse to explore, plus a bunch of the weird places we’ve heard about around here. And we barely see any of it! So I say we go out and have a good ol’ classic adventure!”
Laney paused her strumming and looked up at the candy president. “I get you like moving around, Vanny, but you know we can’t take over a city or anything.”
”That is correct”, an echoing voice said. All the kids looked up at Star Dream, who was watching them like a guardian angel. “Without adult supervision, you are strictly prohibited from leaving the castle premises. Understand it’s for your own safety.”
Vanellope groaned and flopped onto the arm chair’s cushion, looking bitter and defeated. “Yeah, yeah, I get it…” She huffed. “I just want to do something new…”
Hilda frowned at her sister in sadness, but sadly couldn’t think of anything. So she picked up the TV remote and turned on the news, just so there was some sort of background. As the commercials played out, a new Encanto trailer played out amongst them, and soon the news started back up.
On screen sitting behind the desk were two news anchors.
”Good morning, people of the Capital!” The man said professionally. “I’m Gerald Hoffman…”
”And I’m Helen Gladly!” The woman finished. “We’ve got plenty of amazing news for you today, including some information on some upcoming events!”
”First”, Gerald began. “This is your reminder that in a week, we’re holding our yearly Summer Nights festival! And this one is special, as the son of Mistress Rainbow and Virus is spearheading the planning for this one, which will be interesting to see.”
”I heard about that”, Helen said with a nod. “So yes. I will love to see what the young prince comes up with.”
That made Ruby perk up. “The people who live here treat Caleb like a prince?”
”Well, he is technically Rainbow and Virus’ kid”, Corey said with a shrug. “So it makes sense.”
”In other news”, Gerald continued. “A new amusement park is set to hold its opening ceremony later today at noon.” That made everyone in the Rec Room pause, and look over at the screen. “Spearheaded by castle staff, it’s intended to be our own Disneyland. At least that’s based on reports I’ve heard…”
As the news anchor shuffled through his papers in uncertainty, his co-anchor continuing on, all the kids shared wide eyed looks. An amusement park on that level was exactly what they needed to kill time and smash through the day. The only issue is they needed an adult to go with them, and they knew Jeremy was way too busy to be babysitter for the day.
As they brainstormed what to do, elsewhere in the castle, the adults were all hard at work with planning for the festival in the main event planning room. Jenny and Galacta were flying about with supplies and different sketches, while everyone else bickered and discussed what would be best for the whole thing.
Off to the side, by a massive corkboard/whiteboard combo, was Maria looking over the whole thing and everything that was guaranteed to be set in stone. Or she hoped. Honestly it was hard to tell, with how heated things currently were. So she just remained silent and looked over the proposed plans, seemingly formulating a plan of her own.
When she was at that boarding school, she did still find a way to have fun even if she was supposed to have it squeezed out of her.
As her eyes landed on a particular part of the proposed ideas, Manolo walked over and put an arm around her shoulders, looking a bit tired.
”You’ve got your thinking face on”, he said with a smile, although it didn’t fully meet his eyes. “If it’s a crazy plan to get us out of here and away from… this…” He subtly gestured to the chaos behind them. “I’m in.”
Maria simply hummed in agreement, her eyes still glued to the one photo. “That amusement park is opening today, right?” She asked offhandedly.
Manolo blinked and looked at the photo, nodding slowly. “I think it is… Why, do you want to check it out and see if it’s a good spot to host the festival?”
”Partially that. But mainly to get away from all of this. I think it’s going to give me a headache…”
The musician chuckled and removed his arm off his wife’s shoulders, taking a closer look at the photo. In fact, there were a few, handed to these not-so-competent party planners by castle staff for potential help. Maria glared at the arguing group behind them as her husband came back over to her side.
”I think it could work”, he said, earning her attention. “Plus, it’d just be nice to get out of here. All these heated debates on what colour of streamer is the best is kinda choking me.”
The wooden woman smiled and let out a quiet giggle, taking her husband’s hand and walking towards the exit. Unfortunately, Katania spotted them and stopped in front of them, looking at them in concern. Even though she just got here, she could tell there was a reason for the Sanchez’ suddenly leaving.
”Is everything okay, you two?” She asked honestly.
”Everything’s fine, Kat, don’t worry”, Maria said reassuringly. “Me and Manolo just thought to go and check out that new amusement park that opened to see if it could work for a location.”
The general’s daughter smiled in relief, only to gain an expression of remembrance. “Oh! If you two are doing that, could you take Vanellope and the others with you? They asked me if they could go earlier, but with everyone busy there wasn’t anyone available to watch them.”
Manolo looked upwards in thought, then shrugged. “I don’t see why not. We could use some help testing the rides… in a way. Is that okay, Maria?”
Maria nodded. “That’s perfectly fine.”
”Cool thanks guys!” Kat ran back into the warzone, which was enough of an opening for the couple to slip out of the room. When they closed the door behind themselves, they both let out massive sighs of relief and swiftly started to make their way to the Rec Room.
Back at the main hangout spot, all the kids were laying around in dejection. All their motivation to do other activities was zapped out of them, all thanks to the prospect of not being able to go to an awesome new theme park. Vanellope herself was particularly crushed, looking even more bored and deflated than before.
She stared up at the ceiling at where Star Dream once was, having long vanished. Now all she could see above was Voltula’s many webs up above, the Galvantula crawling along them with ease. Glancing towards the wall at the back of the chair, she saw all the Pokemon were resting on their raised platform bed, with Twig snuggled with them. Below that, Viz was keeping careful watch of the other unhatched egg.
With a tired sigh, she rolled off the chair, stood up, and started making her way towards the door to the hallway. But before she even reached there, Maria and Manolo walked in with smiles on their faces. All the kids looked over at them, confusion painted across them all.
”What’re you guys doing here?” Corey asked.
”Well, we were going to head out somewhere…” Maria said in a happy tone, shooting her husband a light smile from the side.
”And we were told you guys would like to tag along”, Manolo finished.
That made all the kids perk up. “Where were you going to go?” Hilda asked cautiously.
“To that new amusement park that just opened!” He said triumphantly.
The kids all sprang to their feet and looked at the two adults in shock, then bolted over to them and started all speaking at once. Maria smiled and raised her hands, making them all quiet down. “We’re doing this to see how good this place can be for the festival, and we needed someone to test the rides… And Kat said you wanted to go, so it’s a win-win for all of us.”
”So you kids go and get ready!” Manolo said. “We’ll meet you at the front of the castle.”
The kids all nodded quickly and sped out of the room and into their rooms, nearly knocking the adults down. When they recovered, they watched them go with fond smiles before heading down the hallway towards the entrance. This was going to be a hectic day, so they wanted to make sure they had more than enough to have all the fun they could.
~X~
As Manolo stood outside the limo, watching the kids all filing in overflowing with excitement and anticipation, Maria was talking to their driver for the day.
“So you’ll come back to pick us up around 9?” The wooden woman asked.
The driver nodded with a smile. “Since this is the grand opening, there’s going to be a lot going on. So you guys get to enjoy yourselves!”
”Thanks.” Maria walked to the back of the limo, nodding at Manolo, and they both entered simultaneously. Inside the vehicle, they kids were all bouncing around like crazy, their hype obvious.
Maria just leaned against her husband in the back seat as the limo started up and began to move, which did little to deter their excitement. As they ran around, Manolo pulled out a pamphlet and started to look over it, Maria catching a few glances at it as he read. It was all on the new park, and from the sounds of it, this park was something else.
“You think the kids will have fun?” The wooden woman asked quietly.
”I know they will”, the musician responded warmly. “This place looks to be right up our speed, and they have it all. There’s a go-kart track, multiple roller coasters, a few impressive looking dark rides… Like Ralph would say, ‘the whole kit and caboodle’… whatever that means.”
The woman snorted and laughed, pushing her husband lightly. “Don’t start taking up that sort of slang, I have a headache enough as is.”
Manolo chuckled and hugged Maria close, the two of them falling silent as the vehicle continued down the road. Vanellope, having spotted the pamphlet, glitched over and snagged it out of the musician’s loose grip, And glitched back over to Hilda and Iris.
As they looked over all they could find at the park, the Lakebottom duo and Grojband duo both chatted across from them.
”So, what are you guys looking to get on first?” McGee asked the others quietly.
Gretchen shrugged. “Honestly, just anything that’s high, fast, and good at pumping blood.”
”I’m hoping there’s a sort of stage show to flex your musical skills”, Corey said, flexing his arm with a grin. “That way I can have fun while also getting some practice in!”
McGee nodded, then looked at Laney. “What about you, Lanes? What ride are you hoping will be there?”
”Oh, you know, maybe something like what Gretchen said…” She leaned against Corey and flashed him a flirty smile. “Or maybe some kind of Tunnel Of Love…”
The guitarist blushed and let out a sheepish chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. McGee gagged jokingly as Gretchen rolled her eyes with a smile. Elsewhere, the Powerpuffs and Ruby were watching the whole interaction play out. All of them giggled teasingly, except Buttercup. She just looked indifferent to it all.
“Here’s hoping they don’t make goo-goo eyes at each other”, the green-clad Powerpuff said flatly. “Because I’d rather not throw up before getting on the roller coasters.”
Blossom smacked the back of her head lightly. “Buttercup, shush. They’re happy together, and you should be too. Who knows, maybe you could find someone for yourself?”
”I don’t see it happening. I talked with Kat a while back, and turns out I’m… I think she said Aromantic? Never though all that mushy love stuff was cool.”
Ruby looked up at her friend in surprise, then smiled. “Discovering more about yourself, huh? I’m the same. Turns out I’m Bi, at least that’s what I learned when I looked online.”
Bubbles and Blossom blinked, glanced over at Iris, then looked back at Ruby.
The rag doll girl nodded. “It’s no surprise I have a crush on Skullboy, but after all this time… I realised I really like Iris that way too… I don’t know how to tell them, though…”
Bubbles smiled and hugged her now blushing friend from the side, while Buttercup shot her a smirk, and Blossom giggled. “We’ll help you out with that, Ruby”, the pink-clad Powerpuff said. “Don’t worry.”
Gloom nodded, and the limo fell into a comfortable silence as each of the groups broke out into their own conversations to pass the time. At some point, Vanellope got bored and poked her head out of the sunroof, trying to gauge where the park was. But much to her surprise, they were leaving the city. She turned around and looked at the Capital as it got further and further away, and her curiosity peaked even more.
”How close are we, Vanny?” Iris called up.
”Uhhhhhhhh… Well, all I know is that this place is outside the city, and by a lot…”
Hilda and Iris shared a look, then joined their friend to watch the city grow more distant. “Okay…” The blue-haired adventurer said in surprise. “Now I’m wondering if that pamphlet was being honest at all…”
Iris turned around, and started to poke her friends. “I think you were right, Hilda…”
The other two girls turned around, and gawked at the sight before them. The theme park was absolutely massive, with multiple of the themed structures visible over the high walls. Massive parade balloons flew overhead, while cheery and upbeat music got louder and louder as they neared.
”Holy cow…” Corey said in shock, the others were all poking their heads out the windows, staring at the massive park in awe.
”I’m already thinking this place is perfect…” Maria whispered to Manolo. he nodded back before returning his gaze to the park as the driver pulled the limo into the parking lot. It was massive, and there were already all sorts of vehicles filling all the spots they passed.
Thankfully, there was a VIP end of the parking lot, which was reserved for castle staff and news reporters, based on the sign dividing the section.
As the limo parked up, the kids all started rushing out onto the cement, all standing together as a group as they stared up at a massive roller coaster that looped around a mountain with artificial clouds. Maria looked around as she stepped out, with Manolo letting out a low, impressed whistle.
”Okay, kids, come here”, Maria began. The kids all ran up to her, looking up at her eagerly. “We’ll stick together till we can get you all a map of this place. Then you can split off and check this place on your own. In…” She squinted at a nearby clock. “Four hours, we’ll meet back up in the central square to head to lunch, and then do the same for dinner, got it?”
”You got it, MarMar!” Vanellope said with a salute. She led the kids ahead, leaving a stupified Maria behind.
Manolo was trying so hard not to laugh, but soon just broke down. The laughter made Maria glare at him, her face burning with embarrassment. “You shush! I’ve never had anyone call me that!”
”Then that just means I should take up that, huh?”
Maria weakly slapped him and pouted. “Don’t you dare.”
Manolo just smiled and kissed her, walking after the kids to make sure they didn’t run off. The boarding school graduate watched him leave, her pout giving way for a light smile, before she faced the driver of the limo.
”So you’ll try to be around here at 9?” She asked.
”I’ll try to”, the driver responded. “You know what the limo looks like, so just keep your eyes peeled.”
Maria nodded and headed after the others, waving goodbye to the driver as they drove off. She smiled wider as she caught up to the group, who were just entering the flood of people that were heading through the park’s front entrance. Looking up at the sign hanging from the massive open gate, Maria took a deep breath.
The Crazy Central Core Theme Park.
Blinking and nodding to herself, she marched in after her family, already knowing this was going to be a long day.
~X~
After they all got their maps and split up, Maria and Manolo decided to try and locate whoever was in charge of the park to hopefully see how they’d feel about it being the location for the festival. So they walked around asking staff, but they kept getting told the manager was busy because of it being the grand opening.
Supposedly, there was a connection to the worlds of old mythologies being made so tourism for the park was much higher. Supposedly, Maria doubted Rainbow would actually let that slide.
So with a dead end hit, the couple sat at an outdoor table at an ice cream parlour, deflating as soon as they landed on the chair seats.
”Okay, so a bit of a snag…” Maria said with a sigh. “But now the staff at least know, so hopefully someone will tell the manager…”
”I’m just worried the manager wouldn’t think that what we have to ask is important”, Manolo asked, leaning back and looking around the area aimlessly. “I mean… the staff could just think we’re just visitors. so it’s just a thought they’d drop before continuing along their day.”
Maria groaned and planted her face on the table, knocking the items on it a bit. “You’re probably right… But, I guess we did have a different reason for coming here…” She leaned back up and blinked, looking at her husband with a neutral look. “You want to check this place out more?”
Manolo nodded, and the couple headed towards one of the themed lands of the park. It seemed to be based around all aspects of fairy tale fantasy, with a smaller but very much still massive rendition of Disneyland’s Cinderella castle. As the San Angel couple walked down the main road, they both looked over to a meet-n-greet in active use.
A family was happily taking photos with a cast member dressed up as Merida, which made the couple balk at the sight and quickly run off. “I don’t think Merida’s gonna have a fun time here…” Manolo said in worry. “I just know there’s going to be a day we need to bail her out because of a screw-up…”
”That’ll be fun.” Maria sighed out, before turning her attention elsewhere. The whole area was very well themed, with a plethora of sturdy oak trees and filled flower beds. It made the whole place feel even more alive. As they walked, they paused to look at some of the rides this part of the park had, which included a variety of slower, lower to the ground coasters that fit the overall theme.
As they explored, the couple soon found themselves entering Cinderella’s Castle, which wasn’t just a simply glorified archway like in the actual parks. No, this one was a full blown palace, still smaller than the Capital’s own castle, but impressively detailed nonetheless. They explored around top to bottom, checking out all the rooms they could before heading out towards the back entrance. But before they stepped back outside, Maria spotted someone.
”Hold on, I think that’s the manager!” She said to Manolo, pointing to a decently buff young woman who was talking to a group of guests and staff. She ran over as the group dispurced, waving the manager down.
”Oh, hello you two”, the young woman said. “I hope the park is all that you hoped for, I made sure of it.”
Maria glanced down at the manager’s name tag, then smiled and nodded. ”Yes, this park is absolutely wonderful! But me and my husband here”, she gestured to Manolo, “are from the Castle.”
That made the manager and a few nearby staff perk up and look at them in surprise. “Oh my, it’s an honour to meet you two! A lot of the Capital just treats you all as a rumour most of the time, so meeting you in person is incredible.” She shook the couple’s hands, smiling bright. “My name is Magnolia. What brings you two here?”
”Well, we were thinking about asking you in regards to something”, Manolo said as he crossed his arms. “Planning for the Summer Nights has been… I want to say a bit bumpy, mainly when it comes to location. But we saw how one of the suggested ideas was this park, so we were hoping to ask you…” He trailed off as a look of excited shock graced Magnolia’s features.
”You want my park to be the location of the festival?!” She shouted in shock. “Of course! That would be such an honour, being able to lend my land to the prince and his friends-”
”Family”, Maria interrupted. “We’ve known each other long enough for us to be considered family.”
Magnolia was caught off guard for a moment, before nodding with a smile. “I understand. I’ll give my staff the announcement after the park closes. Thank you for picking my park. Now, I need to deal with other things. Here…” She pulled out a business card and handed it to the boarding school graduate. “My contact information. Have a wonderful rest of your day!”
Magnolia ran off, leaving the couple standing there a little lost for a bit. But they both shook their heads and returned to their adventure through the park, Maria stuffing the card in her purse as they walked.
”So that went well!” Manolo said with a smile. “Looks like we can relax now!”
”Yeah…” Maria gave him a side smirk. “Because of that… C’mon!” She suddenly grabbed his hand and started to run ahead. Manolo cried in shock, making her laugh. “If we have all this time to ourselves, then I want to make the most of it!”
She continued dragging him along towards one of the more exhilarating rides, unknowingly passing by Ruby and the Powerpuffs. They were munching on cotton candy as the adult couple suddenly shot by, making the four girls look over in surprise.
”Dang, I didn’t know Maria was that fast…” Buttercup said. “She should join the Capital’s Olympic track team.”
”I actually remember her saying that one time”, Ruby said. “But she didn’t want to because as much as she loved sword fighting and karate, she didn’t really like the track fields.”
”That’s fair”, Blossom said as she finished her cotton candy and tossed the stick into a nearby trash can. “But it would be cool to see her on TV like that sometime.”
Bubbles, who was idly listening, blinked. “Do you think they talked to the manager?”
”I’d like to think they did. Because I do not see Maria being that happy when she’s on a mission of any kind.”
Buttercup snorted as she tossed her now vacant cotton candy stick. “Well, whatever. Let’s go and find a ride or something, waiting here is making me bored.”
The other girls all rolled their eyes and headed down a different path from the couple, Bubbles and Ruby still enjoying their cotton candy and they moved. Cheery, somewhat generic fantasy music was playing from the park’s speakers, which added to the atmosphere. The girls all continued along their way, leaving the fantasy section and heading into the land based on the concepts of the future and such.
It was nearly identical to Disney’s Tomorrowland, only with elements of other sci-fi worlds spliced in. It was crisp, clean and very high tech.
As they walked, Buttercup hummed. “I do hope this place is picked for the festival. It’s freaking awesome!”
”Yeah, I hope so too”, Ruby said with a light smile. ”I can just imagine it… the warm lights, all the games, us taking a ride on the Ferris wheel and seeing the sunset…”
”That sounds like so much fun!” Bubbles cheered, discarding her finished cotton candy stink in a passing trash can. “Eeeeeee, I can’t wait!”
”Just cool your jets, girls”, Blossom said in a calm tone. “We don’t even know if this’ll be the place. Earlier, I wanted to see how the planning was going… And I instantly left after hearing all the shouting. It’ll take a miracle to have the others agree on this.”
“Ah, I can threaten them to agree”, Buttercup said in a snarky tone.
”Buttercup!” The other girls shouted at her. The green-clad Powerpuff just laughed and flew off, sparking the others to give chase. Ruby did hesitate, however, as she looked over at the towering centrepiece of the whole park. With a hum, she followed after her friends at a brisk pace, hoping the day stays strong.
~X~
Vanellope, Hilda and Iris stood in the surprisingly short line for one of the park’s break-out attractions: A massive and fast roller coaster that spiralled around a tall spire. It looked invigorating, exciting, awesome…
And terrifying in Hilda’s case.
She was tense as a board as her little trio neared the entrance, their full access passed in hand. The blue hair adventurer’s one was most definitely crumpled at how tightly she was squeezing it. Iris noticed her fear, and bumped Vanellope.
”Hey, Vanny, do you think this ride is a good idea?” The cyclops asked quietly. “Hilda looks a bit… tense…”
Vanellope discreetly looked back at her sister, and shrugged. “She’ll be fine. I do this stuff all the time, so if you two just stick with me, everything will be fine.”
Hilda shook her head and swallowed nervously. “I’m fine, g-guys, really. Just a bit… i-intimidated is all.”
”See? Hilda can handle it.” Vanellope brushed off Iris’ worry as she took the blue-hair girl’s hand and ran inside the loading area for the roller coaster. The racer flashed her and Hilda’s passes, with Iris right behind and flashing her own.
As they got loaded up in the karts for the ride, Hilda gave the handle bars a death grip. Vanellope, sitting next to her, looked at her in worry. She glanced back at Iris, who was seated behind, then back to her sister.
”Hilda, you good?” The candy president asked warily. “I haven’t ever seen you so scared before.”
”I don’t know what’s wrong…” Hilda whispered fearfully in response. “I’m used to riding Woffs around like nothing, I’ve scaled a mountain, travelled under the ocean, and was even chased by a then big scary wolf. But this… This is just getting to me…”
”Hey, sis, look at me.” The Trolberg kid looked at the Sugar Rush kid. “Just take deep breaths, relax, and you’ll have fun, okay?”
Hilda silently nodded, squeaking a bit in fear when The train of carts started moving. The girl held her breath as it moved forward onto an incline, locking into the main catapult system. There was a moment of hesitation before they were launched up. Everyone in the carts screamed, Hilda in fear rather than excitement, as the coaster dipped over the top bump and started to spiral up towards the top of the spire.
As they went on, Hilda opened her eyes, and was surprised at how invigorating this felt, so she started to laugh and cheer, which infected Vanellope and Iris almost immediately. The girls all hooted and hollered as the carts made their way all the way up, and then started the rapid descent back down. It was so much fun, to the point Hilda lifted her hands up.
The ride soon hit the corkscrew part of the descent, which actually did jolt fear into everyone. But only for a second. Soon they were all back to cheering and screaming in excitement. It continued all the way down till the carts pulled back into the loading station, letting all the passengers disembark.
Vanellope, Hilda and Iris all stumbled out of the ride’s exit with weak legs, wild eyes, and even wilder hair. They were breathing heavily, staring into space as they collected their bearings. After a moment, they all shared a look, and then cheered.
”Okay, we need to go on more of these rides!” Hilda said loudly, a beaming smile on her face.”
”That’s the spirit, sis!” Vanellope cheered. “C’mon, I saw a go-kart track on the way here!”
”I call dibs on a black kart!” Iris shouted as they ran off, the candy president leading the charge.
Not too far away, Corey, Laney, McGee and Gretchen were boarding the park’s main form of transportation to check out more of the park. It was a train, both rustic and modern. As the group sat down, getting into the comfy red velvet seats, the train was off.
The band leader looked out of his window, looking over all the buildings and rides they passed. “I’m kinda bummed there isn’t any sort of music themed ride so far, but honestly this place is killer! I wouldn’t mind coming back sometime.”
”Might be soon, if Maria and Manolo convince the others to have the festival here”, Gretchen said, arms crossed and leaning back in her seat.
Laney looked out Corey’s own window, and shrugged. “Eh, I’m fine with whatever. As long as we get to do our own song, then I’m happy.”
”How have Kin and Kon been anyway?” McGee asked. “They haven’t popped by for a while now.”
”Eh, you know them, always experimenting with my generous loans.” Laney gave her friends a flat look. “After the whole dream fiasco, I’ve been really careful with funding their stuff.”
”Makes you wonder why they don’t just work on it all here, honestly”, Corey said matter-of-factly. “They’d have a lot more freedom here.”
”Eh, who knows”, McGee said with a shrug. “But backtracking a bit… What were you guys planning on doing for the festival?”
”Well, we were hoping to do three songs. The first two are covers of songs Lanes felt fit the ‘summer vibes’, and the last one is a song written by yours truly.”
”That sounds cool”, Gretchen said with a smile. “I’ll definitely be looking forward to it.”
”You guys should head over to Core’s place tomorrow”, Laney said. “We were gonna do some practice, and we would like some extra opinions that aren't… Trina’s…”
The Lakebottom duo nodded, only for McGee to gain a thoughtful look. “How is she anyway?”
”Eh, she’s still the same”, Corey said, a bit of a frown on his face as he looked out the window. “After realising she basically locked away the old her just so she could be mean… I don’t know, it’s been weirder to be around her. And makes me glad I finally started writing my own song lyrics.”
”I’m with ya’, Core…” Laney said. Things were quiet for a moment before the bassist shook her head and faced the summer camp duo again. “How’s Squirt and the others at Lakebottom been?”
”Pretty good! This is our third summer there, and I honestly am surprised there’s still so much more to do.”
“Like the fact there’s a whole subterranean city of mole people”, Gretchen said, leaning forward a bit. “Turns out they’ve been stealing stuff from both our camp and SunnySmiles, but with a bit of elbow grease we made sure they didn’t steal from us ever again.”
Corey and Laney looked confused. “Elbow grease?”
”Rose and Gretchen dealt with it”, McGee said. “What they did, I have no idea.” Gretchen pouted, which made the group all start to laugh. Afterwards, they went on with a new conversation to pass the time, eventually hopping off the train and heading towards the central area for lunch. The sun was high, and their smiles were bright.
~X~
The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Because of all the rides, shows, activities and such everywhere, the group was absolutely exhausted come time to head home. All the kids were fast asleep as the limo drove back to the castle, with Maria and Manolo having moved them all closer to the front and into more comfortable positions so any bumps didn’t hurt them.
When they both relaxed in the back most seat, Maria’s phone rang. Instantly, she picked it up and held it up to her ear. “Hello?” She whispered.
“Hey Maria!” Caleb’s voice sounded off. “Just checking up on you guys since you’ve been MIA all day. How was the park? And don’t worry, Kat told me you, Manolo and the kids all went.”
”It was great, Caleb”, the wooden woman said with a happy sigh. “We were able to talk to the park manager, and she’d love for the festival to be held there. And after checking everything out… Yeah, it’ll be perfect.”
”I see… Hmmmmmm…” The other end was silent for a moment. “Honestly, yeah. We’ll do that. That way we can also focus more on just general set up and stuff… Okay, thanks Maria. Oh, and just so you know… I would’ve gone with you. All the shouting was also giving me a headache.”
Maria was in shock as Caleb hung up, looking at her phone screen with wide-eyes. Manolo gave her a look of concern. “Is everything okay, Maria?”
The boarding school graduate just shook her head and laughed. “Just Caleb knowing exactly what’s going on, mi amor. He’s too smart for our own good.”
The musician chuckled and leaned back, pulling his wife into a hug as they headed back to the castle. They were ready to end off the day with a comfortable sleep that even gods would be jealous of…
~X~
And that’s chapter 9 done just before Halloween! Dang, this was a fun one. Whole new locale, some new development with the characters, and just some dumb fun fluff.
So, yes, we have some new sexualities for the cast confirmed! Ruby is Bi, and Buttercup is Aro Ace. It might seem weird for the latter, but remember that as my AU goes, these characters do naturally age if that’s how it works by their own rules. I’ll get more into it at a later point, but yeah, Bi Ruby and Aro Ace Buttercup!
Also, we got a new location! The Crazy Central Core Theme Park! This was a very cool place to design and plan up, so expect more of it to show up. And not just for the festival, either!
But this is it. Next chapter will be the big 10, which will signify the end of the first arc of this story! Yeah, I doubled the length of the first DCT’s first arc, lol. I just wanted to have a lot of more episodic stuff that just expands the group as a whole before more of the dramatic and important stuff happens. For the most part…
Look forward to the next chapter, trust me. You won’t want to miss it…
Up next: It’s time for the Summer Nights festival! With so much done to celebrate such an important time, all the group break off to do their own things as they reflect on how far they’ve come.
Of course, it’s not without its surprises…
~Caleb~
Chapter 10: Summer Night Fireworks
Summary:
The entire family takes part in the gigantic Summer festival, enjoying the delicious food, each other’s company and classic carnival games as the sun sets and the moon rises
But as the stars start to twinkle, someone does something that sends shockwaves throughout the family...
Chapter Text
The week was blowing by in a flash, with planning for the festival in full gear. Thanks to the Sanchez’ solidifying the new theme park as the location, everything else slowly fell into place. The news spread throughout the city like wildfire, boosting the park’s popularity tenfold. The castle was just as hectic, with the family not having a lot of free time as they did everything they could to help castle staff prepare.
But during one distinct shopping trip for supplies, Merida vanished randomly at one point and reappeared again after an hour. Katania was the only one who noticed, but didn’t press when she saw how… secretive the princess was being. So Kat let her be.
But a day later, Merida was still being super secretive, rarely being seen outside her room. Katania was growing more concerned, and as the time became closer for the whole group to head to the festival with some extra guests, she had yet to leave her room. So Kat gained a determined look and left for the princess’ room, ready to get to the bottom of this.
Inside her room, Merida was staring at her reflection in her vanity mirror. She was dressed and ready for the festival, but was stuck. She was stuck because she was playing with the thing she bought yesterday in her hand. Something that was crazy special to her, something she’s wanted to do for a while. But now she was getting cold feet.
”It’s okay, Merida…” The princess said to herself, pacing around the room. “You just wait till you get a chance, and ask her. You ask her, and you;ll both be happy…” She stood completely still, before crumbling. “Oh who am I kidding? This is too crazy even for her. For me. For anyone is this goddamned family!”
The princess now was storming around her room, fuming so much she didn’t realise Kat was walking in, a look of worry twisting her face. The general’s daughter walked more into the room, watching the princess fumed and rant.
”Merida?”
Hearing Kat’s voice made the princess freeze, then spin around to face her friend like a deer in headlights. “Kat! H-Hey…” She looked around a bit frantically. “H-How come you’re here?”
”Well… We’re going to get going soon. Ruby and Iris are just waiting for the rest of their friends from Gloomsville to arrive, and we’re gonna go…”
”Ah, okay, cool! I’ll join you guys soon-” The archer shut up the moment she noticed Katania was staring at something with wide eyes. In terror, the princess slowly looked over to the vanity and saw how she left the thing she bought there.
The princess was frozen as Kat walked over to it and picked it up, opening it to reveal what it really was.
Inside the plush royal blue case, resting comfortably in golden fabric, was a ring.
Katania’s gaze snapped to the princess in complete shock. “M-Merida… A-Are you going…”
Caught in a corner, Merida didn’t fight. “Y-Yeah… Iz means a lot to me… S-So I thought…” The princess started to get tears in her eyes, and she fell to the floor, burying her face in the blanket. “But I’m scared! I’m scared this will make everything fall apart!”
”Woah woah woah, Merida, no…” Kat set the ring case down and knelt beside her friend, rubbing reassuring circles on her back. “Nothing will fall apart. We’re all here for each other, remember?”
”B-But me and Iz are from different worlds!” Merida faced her friend, tears already staining her cheeks. “My mum and dad don’t even know she exists! What I want to do completely goes against everything this whole blasted world stands for…”
”Okay, hang on… Let’s back up.” Kat repositioned the two of them so they were sitting on the floor, facing each other. “Where did this start?”
Merida sniffed harshly and took a deep breath. “The day you set up our date. When we were driving back, Iz was drunk as hell and said how she would marry me. I was… shocked, but not surprised. But after that… the idea wouldn’t leave. It kept getting louder and louder till we were at the mall… and I saw there was a jeweller…”
“And you bought a ring because you want to propose to Izzy during the festival?”
Merida nodded, head frozen towards the floor. She said nothing as tears kept silently falling, landing in her lap and staining her face even more. Her eyes were fragile and red, and her body shook while she held in sobs.
Kat gave her friend a heartbroken look, then lifted her chin so they were seeing eye to eye again. “Merry, listen to me. Izzy loved you like crazy, and she would for certain say yes. And as for ‘What this whole blasted world stands for’…”, that made the princess chuckle, “It’s not a big deal! Heck, Gladdy told me stories about how a lot of a lot of the old council members were definitely in relationships with each other. And Rainbow encouraged it! So you know she supports you too. And if this would’ve been an issue, all of us would’ve stopped you and Izzy from dating outright!”
Merida blinked, her tears calming down a bit. “You… You mean that, Kat?”
”I completely mean it, Merry. I would never lie to you, or anyone. And this will stay secret with me, I promise.”
The princess swallowed and stood up, nodding as she wobbled on uneasy footing. “Thanks… Kat. Really, this means a lot… to me…”
Kat gave her friend, her sister, a sad smile before hugging her. “Don’t mention it, Merry.” She pulled back, smiling more brightly. “Now you get cleaned up, and bring that ring. You deserve to take the next step.”
The princess nodded and headed into her personal bathroom, with the general’s daughter walking out of the bedroom and closing the door behind her. Just as she did, Caleb walked up to her. He was flanked by Gladius and his squad of critters, Purdy perched on his head and the unhatched Tornadus egg strapped to his chest. This was something he wanted everyone to feel included in.
”Is everything okay with Merida, Kat?” He asked in concern.
”Yeah, everything is okay. She just needed help doing something before we got going.”
”Okay. Hopefully she doesn’t take long, the Gloomsville gang are here, so we’re all heading to the limo out front.”
”Ah, you don’t need to get your pants in a twist…” Merida said as she walked out, a bag on her. “I’m here…” She walked down the hall, leaving the permanent castle residents behind. Caleb shared a look with Kat, his hand motioning to refer to Merida’s faintly tear stained face.
Kat simply mouthed the word “Later” and followed after the princess. Caleb hummed in worry and headed after them, Gladius by his side and the critters all right behind. heading down the hall, Caleb and Gladius caught up with the third member of their trio and walked in comfortable silence, passing by the mid afternoon light window. The whole city was buzzing with activity as people from all over were heading towards Crazy Core for the festival.
All the way there, Kat kept her look of worry locked onto Merida. As they entered the castle foyer, she was put more at ease as Izzy came clamouring over and pulling the princess out the door. Noah looked over at Kat, showing he did catch the faded tear stains, but didn’t remark on it.
Outside, everyone was chatting and excited to spend the festival together at the base of the front steps. Baby and NightBon’s arms were locked as they talked with Amy and Rory; Vanellope and Hilda were running around as Twig chased them; Ruby and Iris were giving their friends the rundown of the Capital; Alfur was scribbling in his notebook as he rested on The Doctor’s shoulder, who was talking with Zomboss about science stuff; Warlord, Pryo and Viper were with Vec as they did a last rundown over everything.
Caleb and Kat smiled at the scene, sharing a looked with Gladius. He silently nodded happily in response, and they headed down the steps to join up with the others. Merida and Kat locked eyes for a moment, and Kat simply nodded. Merida blinked twice, then turned her attention back to Team E-Scope.
Kat smiled brighter, while Caleb cocked an eyebrow in confusion. He knew something was happening, but he hated how he didn’t know what it was. It made him really scared, but he thankfully buried it as their transport came driving up.
It wasn’t like the usual limo they got, no. This was some sort of triple deck limo that was longer. It was bizarre to see, so much so that most of the group started to laugh at the vehicle’s ridiculous appearance.
”That’s our ride?” Flowey chortled from atop Barranco’s head. “That’s gotta be the dumbest looking limo I’ve ever seen!”
”This place has an out there sense of design, huh?” Jenny giggled.
”It is unique, I’ll give it that”, Dry Bowser grumbled as he crossed his arms.
”Now I’ve seen everything…” Majima said in a pretty flat voice. He suddenly gained his classic smile as the limo parked before them. “Dibs on a window seat!”
”No fair, Majima!” Eva roared as she marched into the limo after him. “You know that’s not how it works!”
”Nothing ever changes, huh?” Steve said with a sigh, a happy glint showing in his eyes. “Man I love you guys…” He stepped inside, and slowly but surely everyone else followed suit. Caleb, Kat and Gladius hung back so everyone could get in before them, which was the perfect time for the boy to strike.
”What’s going on with Merida?” He asked. “It’s not like her to just burst into tears without something to cause it.”
Kat cringed as she contemplated telling him, but she finally relented. “You drove Merry and Iz on their date. And you picked them up. You heard what they were talking about…”
Instantly, Caleb baulked. “Merida… She’s going to do it?” Kat nodded, and the boy clutched where his heart was. “Holy shit, it’s actually happening… Okay, yeah, we’ll give them space. Don’t come off as suspicious.”
The girl nodded, and they boarded the limo last. Gladius was busy putting the pieces together in his head, before it all clicked. He gasped, looked to the window he could vaguely see Merida and Izzy’s silhouettes, and took a deep breath. This festival was going to be one to remember, he just knew it.
As soon as he Shook of the shock and entered the super limo, they were off…
~X~
Crazy Core was bursting with excitement and activity as all the decoration set up started to pay off. Banners, lights, and signs hung from lampposts, walls, fences and even some attractions as the Summer Nights festival was in full swing. At the heart of a lot of the activity was the mismatched family from the castle, who split up the moment they arrived to do their own things.
Izzy dragged Team E-Scope to some of the wilder roller coasters, the Ponds and kids followed the Robots to the laser tag arena, Ralph headed off somewhere random that no one knew the reason to why, Ruby and Iris took their friends elsewhere, Corey lead his band to the stage, and the critters all headed towards the petting zoo.
This left Caleb, Kat and Gladius with Maple, Z-Tron, Purdy and the egg.
”Looks like it’s just us, guys”, Caleb said with a shrug before facing his friends. “Want to just go for a walk? See the sights of our hard work?”
”That sounds like a lovely idea, Caleb”, Gladius said politely. “Grojband’s performance isn’t for two-ish hours, so let's see how well things turned out.”
Katania nodded and followed her friends, but was noticeably slower than she usually was. “Kat, I know you‘re worried about Merida”, Caleb said reassuringly. “But wanting to go and spy on her and stuff will just stress her out more. Let her figure this out on her own.”
”I know, I know…” She sped up so she was in line with the bespectacled boy. “I just don’t want her breaking down, that’s all. She was so freaked out earlier that she was breaking just… existence as a whole by even wanting this.”
”Rainbow never had a rule against that”, Gladius explained. “She knew love was a natural feeling, and when she saw Loki and Bastet going on dates, she knew it was best to let love flow. If she blocked it, it would spell more doom than letting it run free.”
”She even talked to me not long after Izzy and Merida got together”, Caleb added. “She said that I didn’t need to worry about it, because she supported them no matter what. So the fact my mom is with them should be relaxing enough.”
”It is to me, but I’m not the one trying to propose…” Katania said with a frown. “Merida needs a serious pep talk, but so far we don’t even know where she went.”
”Again, let her figure it out herself. She’s in her element, Kat. With Izzy and the rest of E-Scope with her, that confidence will skyrocket! And hey, maybe she’ll propose when we’re all on our platform to watch the fireworks? You never know.”
Kat blinked absentmindedly, then nodded slowly. They continued along their walk, talking about other things as they went. As they walked, however, they stopped by one of the stands which was being run by two familiar faces.
”Spamley! Gord!” Caleb said happily, running over to the stall. The green internet denizen Perked up and looked over, beaming as the group came over.
”Caleb! Kat! Pleasure running into the two of you here!” The sleazy pawn shop owner said with a smile. Gord, who was stocking the shelf behind the counter, turned around and waved happily. “Although I shouldn’t be surprised!” He looked up at Gladius, and tipped his hat, earning a bow from the blade in response.
“I’m more surprised you’re here, Spamley”, the bespectacled boy said happily. “How come you’ve got a stall here?”
”Well, I just thought that since this festival is so big, why not advertise my services! That way I can rake in the cash!”
”So you opened a mini pawn shop?” Katania said curiously as she looked over the shelf. “Unorthodox, but smart.”
”Thanks. So, how have you kids been?” Spamley leaned against the counter, petting Purdy as she hopped in front of him.
”Eh, it’s been fine”, Caleb said with a shrug. “Was mainly just planning for this whole thing, so we didn’t do much else. What about you?”
”Oh, you know, just making it by. Living here has been so much nicer, though! No Ad Blockers shoving me to the ground, no kids who accidentally click on my site and dip, no potential viruses. And people actually like me!”
Caleb nodded with a sad smile, only to just now notice the internet denizen wearing a vest. And he gained a smirk because of it. “Where’d you get that new vest, Spamley? Because it looks a lot like one Ralph bough a few months back~”
The con-man blushed and looked down at his vest, tipping his hat in embarrassment. “Ah, kid, it… I-It was just a gift from him…”
”Oh yeah, definitely a gift~” Caleb said with a laugh, which made Gladius chuckle and Katania giggle. “You know I’m just teasing ya’, Spam. If this means we get to see you more often, I’m all for it!”
”I want to know who kissed who first”, Kat said cheekily. That made Spamley’s face explode in a dark green blush, and he fully hid his face behind his hat. Gord reached up and pat his back reassuringly as Kat egged the con-man on about details.
As they stood around and talked, the egg strapped to Caleb’s chest wiggled around a bit, clearly staying it wanted to get moving. So Caleb, Kat and Gladius waved goodbye to a flustered Spamley and silent Gord, but the boy stopped and turned around suddenly when he remembered something.
”Oh yeah! Spamley, when it gets closer for the fireworks, come over to the centrepiece of the park. We have a raised platform just for us to watch the show With us.”
”You got it, kid!” Spamley responded, getting some of his energy back from the earlier embarrassment. With that, the trio and their little friends left to check out elsewhere in the park, no one place really set in mind.
As they walked, they talked about a variety of things, but Kat still had this aura of uncertainty around her. But she buried it deep down, for her own sake and Merida’s.
They walked past Scrap Baby and her group, who were all sitting at a large outdoor table for one of the cafes. Baby and NightBon’s hands were intertwined as Marco and Majima talked with Molten about random things.
”Are you guys excited for Corey’s song?” Star asked excitedly. “Because I am!”
”I’m curious to see what he had been planning for the past month…” NightBon said inquisitively. “He’s been more secretive about it than usual.”
”I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say it’s passible”, Baby said flatly. Although there was the hint of a smile in her voice.
”Cold, Baby”, Lefty chided. “Our friends have been practising this for forever, and that’s the best you have to say?”
”You know I’m only joking, Lefty. Don’t get your gears in a twist…”
”Well I know it’ll be amazing”, Star said with a defiant pout directed at the clawed animatronic. “I got to see some of Grojband’s practices live, and it was amazing. If I could, I’d pick them for my song day.”
Baby hummed, then looked over at Star in confusion. “By the way, Star… Where’s Tom? You said he’d be joining us tonight.”
”He is coming, just running a bit late-” The Mewman was cut off when a pillar of fire suddenly erupted from the ground next to them, and those at the table looked over as a boy about Star’s age emerged from the flames. He had pale purple skin, spiked pale red hair, horns, and three eyes, and smiled at Star happily.
”Tommy!” Star squealed. She jumped up and dashed over to the demon, hugging him so tightly that the others swore they heard a bone crack.
”Ack, Star!” Tom squeaked out. When he was freed, he took a deep breath, and smiled at his girlfriend. “I told you I was gonna show up. I just needed to do something first.”
”And what would’ve that been, Peepers?” Majima joked with a smirk.
The demon prince regarded the yakuza with a flat, irritated look before giving Star a smile again. “This.” He waved his hand around, and from a burst of blue flame came a very fancy looking necklace, with a red gem on the pendant. “This is a blood diamond necklace I had specially made just for you.”
Star’s eyes sparkled as she took the necklace and put it on, looking down at it with teary eyes. “Tom, it’s beautiful… Thank you!” The Mewman princess kissed him as thanks, making Majima groan and everyone else smirk. Mainly at the yakuza’s inconvenience.
”So, what kind of story did you spin to slip away this time, Tom?” Marco asked as he and the demon shared a fist bump.
Tom sat down between Star and Marco, and shrugged. “Surprisingly, nothing crazy. It was kinda an off day for my family, so I was able to slip away and ‘do my own thing’ without them caring all that much.”
”That’s good”, Lefty whispered. “Do they know you and Star got back together?”
”Not yet. After the whole Blood Moon thing, I felt it would’ve confused them way too much if I went ‘Oh yeah, by the way, even after all that Star and I got back together!’ They would’ve thought I did some sort of demon magic on her or something.”
”That would’ve had a lot of… really bad consequences…” Star said in dread, looking terrified at the implication. She then shook her head. “Luckily that’s not what happened, and things are all good! So, Tom, are you excited for Corey’s performance later?”
The demon looked thoughtful for a moment as he snagged a breadstick from the basket on the table. “More curious, just to see what he’s been cooking up.”
”You and me both, Tommy!” Molten said excitedly as he appeared suddenly between the young couple. The wire amalgam then straightened up and looked over the whole table, pulling out a notepad. “I’m gonna go and order our food now that our plus one is here, who wants what?”
Everyone started lobbing out their orders, with the wire amalgam working fast to get it all written down. When it was all on paper, Molten slithered off towards the cafe to get their orders in, leaving those at the table to continue their earlier conversations.
Across the road from the cafe, exploring a gift shop, was the Gloomsville gang. They were taking to the customs of the Capital well, and Ruby herself was particularly happy. And best of all, Misery didn’T have a torrent of bad luck following in her wake. It was mostly just her personal thundercloud.
As Ruby wandered the isles, she bumped into Frank and Len as they looked over some vinyl records. “Hey guys! Find something that caught your eye?”
“Just looking over all this music!” Len said in excitement. “If we knew this place had all of this, we would’ve begged you to let us visit sooner!”
”I agree”, Frank said with a nod. “Is there ever a musical festival here, Ruby?”
”Yes! I’ll be sure to sign you two and Scaredy up for it next time it pops up.” The ragdoll girl left the conjoined brothers to their own devices, exploring more of the store. Misery and Poe were together checking out a set of pretty fancy and durable umbrellas that used rubber to disperse electric charges.
As she headed deeper into the shop, she passed by Scardey and Boo Boo, who were both helping Venus pick out some accessories to wear before eventually finding Iris and Skullboy at the back of the store. They were simply browsing what there was, not seemingly all that intent on buying anything.
As Ruby silently joined them, her heart twisted a bit.
”So, what you thought of all of this so far, Skullboy?” Ruby asked her friend with a light smile, trying to hide her bubbling feelings.
”It’s been amazing, Ruby!” he responded with a smile. “Iris was been telling me everything that you guys have been up to, and I’m not gonna hide the fact I’m a bit jealous.”
”Awwww, don’t worry Skullboy. Starting now, you and all the others will be more included in all of this. I’ll just need to talk to Virus to make phones for all of you.”
”Oooooooo, I can just imagine the crazy gadgets you, Zomboss and The Doc will build together”, Iris said in giddy excitement. “If you guys are able to make something for Squig, I’d be so happy!” The skeleton blushed, looking a bit sheepish.
Ruby giggled and looked between both her friends, her heart twisting even more. Her smile fell as she looked around to make sure it was just the three of them, and then looked back. “Guys, while we’re alone… I need to talk to you about something…”
The skeleton and cyclops looked at their friend in concern. “What’s wrong, Ruby?” Skullboy asked.
“See… I…” She hesitated for a moment. “I talked with some of the others a bit back, and it turns out I’m Bi!”
The other two shared a look, then faced her again. “I’m proud you figured that out for yourself, Ruby!” Iris said happily. “When’d you figure it out?”
”When my crushes for both of you flared up…” The ragdoll girl ducked her head a bit as her two friends gained gobsmacked expressions.
”You have crushes… on both of us?” Skullboy asked in disbelief, fully turning to his friend.
”The one I had for you has been with me for a long time, but I got a crush on Iris since we started hanging out here more”, Ruby gestured to just the general space. “And it really sparked when I saw Merida and Izzy together. So I just… I just needed to tell you guys. But now I’m stuck because I don’t want to just pick one of you…”
She looked down in shame, with Skullboy and Iris sharing a look. They seemed stumped at how to take this, only for Iris’ eye to sparkle. “You could pick us both!”
Ruby and Skullboy gave her a confused look. “Huh?”
”Okay, here…” She stood between them, beaming like the sun. “I decided to talk to Rainbow one day about sexualities and such, and she told me that people can actually be in a relationship called a ‘Poly’.”
”What’s that, Iris?” The skeleton asked.
”It’s basically what we could do!” She took both Ruby and Skullboy’s hands in her own, smiling at them lovingly. “We can all be together in a relationship, and it’d be totally normal! So what do you say?”
Ruby’s eyes widened as her heart started to beat faster, and she looked over at Skullboy in excitement. The skeleton looked the same, seemingly all for this idea. With a squeal, Ruby pulled both of her now partners into a hug and started planting kisses on their cheeks, her heart exploding in joy.
From around a corner, the rest of the Gloomsville gang were watching the whole exchange happen with beaming smiles. Even Misery was smiling happily. Frank and Len shared a fist bump, and Poe took out a camera and took a picture, the flash making them all freeze.
The poly looked over in shock, their faces burning bright red as they took in the audience’s reaction, knowing this was going to take some getting used to. But for now, they’d celebrate this festival. Together.
~X~
As the setting sun began to make the sky glow a warm orange, the few clouds there were adding to the beauty of it all, Corey and his band were busy doing some last minute preparations before their performance.
”So, we got everything we need rigged up, right?” Laney asked Kin.
”It should be”, the keyboardist responded as he looked over a special effects trigger board. “It took a while, but Zomboss’ help did make this go by a lot smoother. If everything is rigged up properly, certain effects should only trigger at certain lyrics.”
”You guys always impress me with how clever you are with making our shows as rockin’ as ever!” Corey cheered as he flashed a rock sign with his hand.
”I just hope we don’t disappoint everyone…” Kon said as he sat down at his drum set. He glanced at the curtain that shielded them from the public. “Our first time performing in the Capital…”
”It’ll be alright, dudes!” Corey said with infectious enthusiasm. “If we just stay focused and do what we always do, then there’s nothing to worry about!”
”Honestly, I’m with Kon, Core”, Laney said with a hesitant look, Kon nodding alongside her. “This isn’t like Peaceville. Who knows how the Capital would react.” She sighed. “It’s times like this I wish Kate and Allie were here…”
”Just stay calm guys. We put so much work into this That is we get cold feet now, we’ll never improve!” Corey cleared his throat. “I picked that up from Manolo and his lessons. Just… Be yourselves, okay?”
The rest of the band shared looks, but then nodded hesitantly before resuming their last minute set up. Corey breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed significantly, heading over to the curtain. He barely opened it and peeked out, seeing the massive crowd that was forming in Crazy Core’s amphitheatre. Right at the front row, either sitting or standing, was the rest of Corey’s chaotic family.
Caleb was busy adjusting the egg that was still strapped to his chest, while the others were all talking amongst themselves. Gladius was looking towards the stage, and nodded at the guitarist reassuringly, silently answering all of Corey’s unspoken questions. Corey smiled back and took a deep breath. He walked into position, sharing nods with his band mates, and they all positioned themselves.
The curtains parted, and the crowd roared as Corey took the microphone. “Hey there, Capital! Hope you’re having an amazing festival so far!” The cheering became louder. “Awesome to hear! So I hope you’re ready to hear us rock out and add to that awesomeness for the evening! We’re Grojband, and we’re your band to end all bands!”
As the cheering started to peak again as Grojband started up their first song, Caleb smiled as the excitement started to get to him.
”This is so cool!” Vanellope cheered as she ran around the massive open area, dancing as the song rang out through the speakers. She was joined by Hilda, Iris and Buttercup, which invoked a bout of laughter from most of the others.
Baby bobbed her head to the beat as she leaned against NightBon, with Molten handing out drinks happily to everyone who wanted one. Maria and Monologue, after silently discussing it, joined the four kids to dance, shortly followed by The Doctor and the Ponds.
Katania was glancing at Merida, who was just leaning back in her seat, playing with her hair as Izzy was dragged into dancing by Owen, alongside Noah and Eva. Majima mumbled something to her, and the princess decided to tag in with dancing as well. It did make the general’s daughter smile, but she was still worried regardless.
As Grojband rocked out with their first song, a cover of Tevor Guthrie’s Soundwave but with their own flair, Caleb closed his eyes. Things had come so far since coming back home. It was right around this time, three years ago, when he made it back with everyone. Looking back at how far things have changed… It made him feel nostalgic. From the blooming love, to the expansion of the hallway, to the silly little adventures… He felt at home.
Grojband finished up their first cover, and moved on to their second one. This time, it was a more celebratory and rock version of Calvin Harris’ Summer, which was accentuated by the smoke and sparks. Most of the crowd pulled out sparklers as they cheered and celebrated with the music, which made the bespectacled boy smile even more.
Soon, more of his mismatched family started to get up and dance with the music, which made Caleb get up and join in. As he danced with his family, the egg bounced around more and more, cracking to the point of bursting. Before he could react, the top of the egg broke open and a rush of wind blasted out, nearly knocking him to his feet. The others all jumped as the egg fully hatched, and a buff green man came out. His lower half was a cloud, and he had a massive tail.
Tornadus had finally hatched, but he looked different than the one Caleb and his Pokemon hunting crew found in Unova.
”YOU’RE SHINY?!” Caleb screeched in pure joy. He cheered, which made the shock within the others immediately vanish and for everything to kick back up into a celebration. As they all danced and partied, Grojband’s third song started playing. It was wholly original, which made the mismatched family in particular even more hyped up and excited.
As the dancing continued on, Merida felt the ring case jostle around in her bag.
Soon.
~X~
An hour or two later, the whole family were on the top of Crazy Core’s centrepiece, ready to watch the fireworks cap off such an amazing day and very hectic week. As everyone got situated, getting snacks and drinks as they saw fit, Merida found herself looking around. Everyone was so cosy, so safe, so secure. The couples were all together and happy, with Spamley making a surprise appearance and gravitating to Ralph.
At the unimpressive side eye Vanellope shared with Gord, the princess almost burst out laughing. But she held her tongue as Izzy sat down next to her, making her heart slam against her chest. She needed to do this, and it was now or never.
”So, Merry, what are you hoping for most for Christmas?” The Psycho Hose Beast asked. “Because I want to get everyone down on a list so I know what to snag.”
”Wouldn’t me telling you just defeat the point?” The archer asked with a light smile as her mind and heart screamed at her.
Izzy gained a look of realisation. “Oh. Good point.”
Merida snorted and laughed, but calmed down pretty quickly as she started. “Hey, Iz… Can we talk about something important privately?”
The wildchild looked at her girlfriend in concern, but nodded. “Uhhhh, sure.” They both stood up and walked way, heading towards a staircase that led to a lower platform.
Katania watched them go with wide-eyes, her body shaking. She nudged Caleb repeatedly, who looked at her in concern.
”Kat, what’s going on?” He asked quietly.
”It’s happening…!” She responded with a subdued squeal. She pointed to the leaving twin redheads, and the boy’s own eyes bugged out. Gladius almost went completely limp in shock.
”Holy shit it’s happening…”
”What’s happening?” Steve asked aloud as he sat down next to the three permanent Capital residents. The two of them bristled as everyone looked over at them in confusion, but then at where the redheads used to be.
”Where the heck did Merida and Izzy go?” Owen asked in concern.
”Eh, probably to have a private make out session”, Majima responded boredly, which earned him a slap on the back of the head by Jenny.
”Seems a bit random…” Zomboss said in a questioning tone.
”You three clearly know what’s up, so spill”, Amy said in a demanding tone.
The trio all slowly shared looks, and then paled a bit. “Uhhhhhhh….”
Down on the lower platform and unaware of what was going on, Izzy and Merida looked over the whole park and the lights of the distant city.
”This is such a pretty view, Merry”, Izzy said breathlessly. “Is this what you wanted to do?”
”No. There’s something else…” The wildchild looked at her, but was surprised to see the start of tears in the princess’ eyes. “Iz… We’ve known each other for three years at this point. Dated for two, and dealt with a bunch of stuff any normal person would crumble under.”
”Yeah… Yeah we did…” The Psycho Hose Beast fully turned to her girlfriend. “Merida, what’s going on? Is something wrong?”
”No, nothing’s wrong… I just… I need to do this…” The princess took a deep breath, then opened her eyes. “There’s a reason I took so long to get ready. Kat helped me out, but… I’m scared. Scared of what I’m about to do…”
Carefully, Merida took out the ring case, which made Izzy look at it in confusion.
”We;ve been there for each other for so long, Iz. You were willing to be there and help me when the lords first showed up. But you are more than just a sister to me. You’re my girlfriend. My best friend… and I want to go further…”
Izzy gasped and took a shocked step back as Merida knelt down on one knee. Popping the case open, the ring was visible in all its glory. It was a faded green with a vibrant green gem on it, smaller golden gems lining the whole thing.
”Iz, I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather spend my life with”, Merida said, her voice wavering as she fought back her tears. “I love you, with all my heart, and I’d fight any bear or beaver or whatever came after you. So… Izzy…”
There was a long pause. “Will you marry me?”
Things were dead silent for a long time. Izzy was staring at the ring in earth-shattering shock, hands over her mouth. Merida was worried she would say no, but the eyes said it all: Izzy’s own heart was exploding.
”Iz?” The princess asked in concern.
”Yes”, the wildchild responded. “Yes, yes, holy shit yes. Oh my god Merida YES!!!” Before the archer could react, she was pulled to her feet and brought into a passionate kiss by her partner. Her… Her fiancée. With the tears finally escaping, Merida kissed back just as passionately, pulling back for but a moment.
”You’re impossible, Iz.”
”We’re impossible, Merry.”
With bright smiles, Merida put the ring on Izzy’s hand, and the wildchild looked at it with a massive grin. She was shaking all over, and was just about to latch onto Merida again… only to see Merida put on an identical ring, only with the greens swapped with blues. The princess flashed her ring, and Izzy almost screamed with how happy she was.
The two redheads hugged again, and were about to kiss… Only for something to stop them.
”Oh. My. God.”
Freezing, the two redheads looked up and saw all the rest of their family looking down at them from the main platform. They were all smiling, some of them were getting a bit teary-eyed, but all of them were clearly excited.
”’Bout time you two tied the knot!” Barranco joked.
”You guys… This is… OMG!!!” Star squealed as she pulled Tom and Marco into a hug.
”There’s no way this is real, right?” Zomboss said in shock. “And I mean that in a good way. I never thought the day would come…”
”I never thought I’d see the day…” The Doctor said with a warm smile.
”Iz, what the heck!” Noah cried in bewilderment. “You’re getting married?!” The rest of E-Scope was with him, looking down at them with wide-eyes.
Izzy blushed and gained a loving smile. “I guess we are…” She pulled Merida into a second passionate kiss, making the princess melt and the others cheer. Cheer like it's to stop the world from ending.
But they were all cut off when there was a distant boom, and looking up they saw the first of the fireworks start to set off. They all beamed and made their way back to their spots on the platform, with Izzy and Merida flanked by their little team. Already, wedding ideas were being lobbed around, but Merida and Izzy were all fine with it. They were just wrapped up in each other’s arms, their ringed hands intertwined.
As the family all got comfortable and watched the fireworks, Caleb sighed happily. Purdy was on his lap, Maple and Z-Tron were on his shoulders, and Kat and Gladius were both leaning against him.
”I gotta say, this has been amazing so far, guys”, the boy said out loud. “With everything we’ve gone through, I can say for certain I’m happy.”
”We found home”, Ralph said, raising his drink as Spamley mirrored him.
”We found love”, Merida said as she and Izzy snuggled together.
”We found adventure!” Flowey cheered as he rested on Dry Bowser’s back.
”We found each other”, Jenny said in a whimsical tone. “I know that sounds cheesy, just let me have this.” That got laughter out of the others.
”We found it all”, Caleb continued. “We’ve still got a lot coming, so let’s do this, take it all on as one. As a family! As the Imaginationeers!”
He was met with silence, so he goofily grinned up to the starry sky. “I felt we needed a team name, so why not that? Our title, one that’s for this family and this family alone.”
Everyone smiled and nodded, all sounding off shouts and cheers off agreement.
”For more adventures to come!”
”YEAH!” Everyone sounded off, with the Pokemon all letting out their cries. Even Purdy let out a loud meow to add to it.
The boy relaxed as the fireworks continued to explode in the sky, his smile bright as it brought forth a brighter future…
~X~
Holy shit, a lot happened in that chapter, huh? We got Ruby starting her poly relationship with Skullboy and Iris, more examples of Ralph and Spamley’s relationship, the shiny Tornadus hatching from the egg, and even the biggest of all…
MERIDA PROPOSED TO IZZY!!!
That last one was a long time coming, you have no idea how excited I was to get to it. Seriously, this ship, which started out as a joke, is now fully my crossover crackship OTP. I love my twin redheads so much.
Other than that, we’ve hit the big 10 for chapters! Already I’ve posted 10 of these bad boys in a few months, and already surpassed 55k words. That is just crazy to me. As for a bigger milestone… Well, the DCT series as a whole is almost at 900k words! Yes, seriously! That’s such an incredible milestone, and I couldn’t have gotten there without all the support from my fans and especially my friends.
You all mean the world to me, so thank you so much!
And this isn’t the end, don’t worry. We still have 70 more chapters to go. Just you wait and see what’s to come…
Up next: After cooling down from the festival and spending some time talking, the group all head to the theatre to watch the early screening of Encanto!
~Caleb~
Chapter 11: Movie Day Madness
Summary:
The day has finally come to see Encanto! But, of course, with this group of weirdos, even getting ready for such a simple thing can be a hassle. But when they finally do it and head back home, something happens that could have everyone screaming one single phrase…
Chapter Text
Caleb let out a groan as he stretched, his mind still a few hours behind. The last few hours of the festival were insane, with everyone partying and drinking and eating and dancing and- He shook his head, blinking as his early morning thoughts made him more delirious. With a sigh, he rolled out of bed, careful to knock Gladius down on the floor. He stumbled on his feet before catching himself on a nightstand.
Taking a bit to steady himself, he lets out a second sigh and moves over to his dresser. Passing a glance at his three critters, he smiles slightly at the sight of them all cuddled up together in a jumbled pile. They honestly deserved their rest.
After looking away, she started to pull out his outfit for the day. It was cosy but still presentable, all because they had their early screening of Encanto today! The timing was a bit unfortunate, but they’d just have to shoulder on and not pass out. So with one final shake of his head, he stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
As he turned the shower on and started getting undressed, he started to glance over at the mirror. He felt the inklings of a beard starting to form, and frown, not a fan of how it felt at all. So as the steam started to pour out from the now heated shower, the boy took his electric razor and headed into the show.
As the water rushed over his body, he shaved all over where he knew the beard was. He was pretty good, but knew he’d have to do some clean up after he was out. So when he felt he had shaved more than enough, he set his razor down on a shelf, and started to properly wash his whole body of all the smelly festival funk. It was nice, and did help him wake up just that bit more. But it still wasn’t enough. Nothing would probably be enough.
After soaping up, he started to use his brush to scrub all over. As he did so, his mind wandered at the upcoming movie. He was still worried how he would react to it, especially since he had learned more plot details during the week of planning for the festival. It was really starting to hit too close to home for him, so he was scared it would spiral into him hating the movie.
He just pushed those thoughts aside and focused on finishing up in the shower. That was all that mattered now. So he scrubbed up, washed off the soap, turned off the water, and stepped out of the shower to get dried off. Today would be okay, he told himself. It was going to be a-okay. So he smiled and finished drying off, doing a quick once over with his razor over the sink. When his beard was shaved down to perfection, he made quick work of getting changed and getting out of his somewhat stuffy bathroom.
Once he was in his wider space, he saw his roommates were all still fast asleep. So with minimal movement and not a sound coming out of his mouth, he tip-toed out of his room and headed into the hallway, carefully shutting his door behind himself. Once he knew no sound would disturb his sleeping companions, he started heading towards the cafe for a hearty breakfast.
As he walked down the hall, a very dishevelled Amy stumbled out of her room, looking like death.
Caleb yelped. “Amy! Jesus, what happened to you?”
The Girl Who Waited gave the boy a very deadly look. ”What do you think?” She rasped out. She then blinked and sighed, head limply looking down at the floor. “Sorry, last night was just a lot. And even after me and Rory decided to have some… fun…” The boy’s eyes bugged out as he paled. “And we were at it till 4 in the bloody morning.”
The boy shot her an over dramatic frown, eyes still wide and wild.
”Yeah, I know…” She shook her head again. “So I’m just going to get me and Rory some coffees while he’s in the shower. We’ll probably join you guys later, but if not definitely when we go to the movie…” Mrs.Pond walked over, movements sluggish and rigid. Caleb watched her leave, wincing when she smacked her hip into one of the hall's side tables.
Frowning, he continued down the hall, with more of his friends walking out of their rooms looking no better.
”Maybe I should stick up a curfew date or something…” He mumbled to himself.
”Do that and you’re probably dead”, Steve said suddenly, making the boy jump and look at him. The crafter was one of the only few who looked like their usual selves. “Especially if Majima or Eva hear that. They really had a lot of fun, but don’t look… great… right now…” Caleb followed the builder’s gaze down the hall, and gulped fearfully as the yakuza and Fitness Buff stormed past towards the cafe. Their eyes were dark with deep bags under them, and their usual hairstyles were a complete disaster of loose strands and split ends.
As they marched off, Caleb slid up next to Steve as a sort of protection. “If they come at us, you’re going first.”
Steve gave him a wide-eyed look, then silently walked on ahead towards the cafe. Upon entering, things were in an eerie in-between of calm and tense. Those that were sitting down still looked on the brink of passing out, or were on edge because of the lack of sleep and way too much partying. Off at a corner table, Izzy and Merida were leaning against each other for some semblance of support. Elsewhere, Scrap Baby was sputtering and occasionally glitching, with NightBon’s gears clicking loudly and Molten’s wires squeaking loudly.
Everyone else besides Steve, Jenny and Katania were no better. So deciding not to poke the bear with the stick, he headed over to Katania, who actually left the party early last night to get a decent sleep. Seems like that was paying off.
”Everyone looks awful…” Kat mumbled as she sipped her tea, scanning over the others. “And you wonder why I said all those drinks and snacks you got for our spot were a bad idea…”
Caleb nodded, taking the seat next to her. “Yeah, yeah, you were right. I’ll remember that next time we decide to play party planner.” He took the bottle of water she passed him, taking a sip before speaking again. “It makes me wonder if we should postpone the movie to tomorrow. Or next week.”
”We could…” Kat whispered. “But Rainbow’s been very on board with this. So I feel like pulling out at the last second would make her pretty upset.”
”She’s my mom, she’d understand…”
“I’d still like to see the movie today, though”, Jenny said as she sat with the duo. Steve joined them shortly after, breakfast in hand. “Sure, we have a lot of sour pusses with us right now, but give it a bit and everyone will be back to normal in no time.”
”How can you be so sure, Jen?” Caleb asked, his voice laced with doubt.
”Considering just a gut feeling”, she responded as she scratched her non-existent nose.
”I’m with Jenny, honestly”, the crafter said as he started to eat his breakfast. “A nice shower, getting dressed, and especially some breakfast will help reinvigorate everyone. And before you know it, we’ll all be heading out to the theatre!”
Caleb simply hummed as a chef came over to his table. He quietly mumbled his order and returned to his silent thoughts as his food was being prepared and his table mates discussed other topics. But his thoughts were cut off when Katania nudged him.
”Are you excited for the movie, Caleb?” She asked gently. “I know you felt like you were connecting with Mirabel a lot in the trailers…”
”I am excited!” He said a bit loudly. “Like, honestly I am. But… I don’t know. I guess I’m also just kinda scared at what I’ll see… You guys know my parents sucked, so I’m scared that if something happens in the movie, I’ll shut down and crack.”
There was a sombre silence over the table for a moment, before Steve leaned over and put a reassuring hand on Caleb’s shoulder. The boy looked over at his friend, and he could see the reassurance in the crafter’s eyes.
”Whatever happens, Caleb, we’ll help you”, he said. “I promise.”
”Same here”, Jenny said with a nod.
”Never think otherwise”, Katania said with a smile.
The boy beamed. “Thanks guys.”
Things fell into a comfortable silence as Caleb finally got his food, and the four table mates started to spark up a new conversation to help lighten the mood. It did do wonders, and it seemed to slowly fill out into the rest of the room. Looking past his friends on occasion, he could see how the rest of his family were starting to recover from their hangovers and lack of sleep.
Steve’s eyes glinted with a slight smugness, which made the others roll their eyes.
Time continued to truck on at a decent pace, with all the others slowly but surely doing their usual morning routines. As Caleb walked out of his room with Gladius by his side, he took a deep breath at the now much lighter mood.
The sword stretched his wings as he fully started to wake up. “I never had a sleep as amazing as that in all my life…” He strained out with a groan. When he recovered, he looked down the hall. “Well, I believe we should head to the foyer. Rainbow might be waiting for us at this point.”
Caleb nodded in response, heading down the hall towards the front entrance. As he turned the corner, Katania joined them with a beaming smile and fully dressed up in more appropriate attire. Caleb smirked at her.
”Kinda bummed you you aren’t going in that cute house-coat”, he joked.
Katania blushed, then lightly smacked his arm. “As if I was going out in my special house-coat. That thing is basically my wearable blanket. I’m not going out to a sticky, dirty movie theatre with it on.”
“I’m only kidding, Kat!” The boy said with a smile and laugh. “As if I’d let you go out in a fluffy green coat like that. You deserve to have your untrained comfy clothes.”
The girl gave her friend a pointed look, then glanced at Gladius. “Do you have anything to add?”
”No I do not”, the sword said with dignity. “I know now not to kick the hornet’s nest.”
”Good.” Things fell into a comfortable silence as the trio walked down the hall. They waved good morning to staff, stopped to occasionally have a brief conversation, and discussed future plans after the movie. But soon enough, they reached the front entrance, and sure enough, Rainbow was there waiting for them by the open door. The goddess paused from staring at her phone to glance up at them, and smiled as they came down the steps.
”I was wondering when you guys would show up”, she said cheekily. “After last night, I knew you’d all need some extra time, so I delayed the screening till an hour after.”
Caleb perked up and looked at his adoptive mom. “Really? Wow, thanks mom. I didn’t think you’d go that far.”
”Nothing is too far for you and your friends, sweetie. Now get into the limo, Virus is a bit caught up with something so we got some extra time.”
The trio nodded and headed outside, the skies a bit overcast but not dark. It made it feel a bit more cosy. The boy smiled as he opened the door for his two best friends, and after they got in, he headed in and got comfy. As he relaxed, the others slowly started filing into the vehicle with brighter expressions.
With a relaxed sigh, Caleb let the sound of the conversation enter his mind as the limo drove off.
~X~
Despite living here and having so much to do over the three years since arriving, none of the group aside from Kat ever went to the Capital’s movie theatre. So when the limo pulled into the parking lot, the group all filed out and looked at their destination.
It was a massive building that used architecture of the earliest single screen movie theatres to its advantage, fusing it with the neon lights of a casino from Las Vegas. Virus and Rainbow walked ahead with Lightness and Darkness by their sides, leaving the rest of the family to take in the exterior.
”So this is the theatre, huh?” Majima said with an impressed tone. “Makes me wonder why we never came here sooner.”
”Because we have our insane home theatre system”, Star said as she skipped ahead a bit, Tom following after her (he ended up staying the night) with a silent nod.
”She’s got a point”, the demon said with a shrug. “From what I heard, you guys have the best set-up ever, so going to a movie theatre seems pointless.”
”But that just makes this all the more special!” Caleb cheered as we walked ahead and turned around to face the others. “This’ll just be another memory we get to share together, and then look back on with massive smiles.”
”That was so cheesy, Caleb”, Flowey said flatly, which made everyone look at him with a glare, but he just ignored it and continued. “But it’s also true. Plus, I know these kinds of places have more than just movies, so let’s go and see what we can break!” The flower used vines from the bottom of his pot to crawl towards the building with surprising speed.
As he darted off, most of the others shared looks, shrugged, and followed, leaving Caleb at the back of the pack with Katania and Gladius. He turned to face them and smiled. “Of course Flowey has to say he cares in his own way.”
”Sometimes I really wish I could clip him like a weed…” Katania mumbled through clenched teeth. She shook her head and followed after the group, with Caleb and Gladius in tow. They both stayed silent, not really knowing how to react to what she said.
As the group all entered the building, they were all jaw-dropped at the sight of the interior. It looked less like an old theatre, and more like the inside of NASA headquarters. There were several stories to this place, with multiple offices, restaurants and a massive arcade all just here.
The group heard someone call them, and looking ahead they saw Rainbow waving them down at the concessions stand. Caleb made his way over as the others all disbursed to explore the area more. When he made it to Rainbow’s side, he looked up at the massive menu.
”So we’re ordering consessions?” He asked.
”Yes and no”, Rainbow explained. “We basically have our own personal theatre, kinda a VIP one, with a bar and everything. This is more just so they can have more time to get all the food ready and such.”
”So while we do this, the others get to mess around?” Caleb asked again.
”Yep. Now c’mon, the sooner we do this the better.” The mother and son headed towards the counter, which left the others to all do their own things elsewhere in the cinema.
Off towards a bunch of authentic movie posters, Steve was with the still estatically engaged twin fireballs, the three of them looking over the wall.
”It’s crazy how much history these things give off, huh?” The crafter said in awe. “All of these movies are legendary! Or at least based on what Caleb and Katania told me.”
”Some of these are…” Izzy said with a nod. Her eyes fell onto one movie, and she let out a gasp as she pointed to one poster in particular. “Ooooooo, Merry, we should see this movie for our next date!”
The princess looked at the poster, and was pleasantly surprised to see it was for The Never-Ending Story. “Really? Would’ve expected you to pick Willy Wonka or maybe even Tarazan.”
”I don’t know, I’m feeling in a bit of a whimsical mood”, the Psycho Hose Beast said with a shrug. “Blame it on Encanto.”
Steve blinked then looked over the posters, humming in thought. “I don’t know a lot about it, but maybe you two can see Twilight too?” When he looked back, he nearly fell over at the intense glares the couple shot at him.
”NO”, the both droned out. They walked on past, the builder sighing a bit before following after them.
Elsewhere, Buttercup had broken away from her sisters to tag along with Majima, Barranco and Flowey so she could check out the arcade. She hovered through the rows of consoles, eyeing everything with the gaze of a hawk. Some other kids were running about, playing games at their own skill levels.
Eventually, she spotted a cabinet with light guns as the main way to play. Seemingly a generic shooter about giant bugs or something. With a shrug, she hovered over and put in a quarter, grabbing the Player 1 gun and getting ready. As the game started, the yakuza, flower and Rabbid came up and all watched silently.
”If any of you want, I could use a Player 2”, the green-clad Powerpuff said, gesturing to the second lighter gun.
”Ah, what the heck”, Barranco said. He jumped up onto the stool and put in a quarter, grabbing a gun and tag teaming the game with Buttercup. Thanks to his previous experience with firearms, he was a pro at this.
Majima grinned evilly as the duo crushed the game, but was thrown off as he felt a tug on his pant leg. Looking down, he was surprised to see a sweet looking kid looking up at him innocently.
”Excuse me… Mr.Majima?” The boy said quietly.
”What do you want, kid?” The yakuza said with a surprising amount of restraint.
The boy looked down shyly for a moment, nervously shuffling his feet before he held up a notepad and pen. “Can I have your auto-graph?”
The eyepatched maniac gave a look of surprise, then smiled and took the notepad and pen. “You’re lucky you’re cute. What’s your name?”
”Jeff.”
”Alrightly then, Jeff, here you go.” The man gave the kid back his notepad, and the boy ran off while calling back a thank you. When he was out of sight, Flowey appeared on the yakuza’s shoulder. “Didn’t think someone would ask me that.”
”Well, we did help with the festival”, the flower mentioned offhandedly. “And that was our first big contribution to this city. So now people will probably be wanting to talk to us more when we head out.”
”Great, just what I wanted…” Majima said with a sigh. He looked over at Buttercup and Barranco as they got a high score, high-fiving at their success.
”Let’s go and see what else we can crush!” Buttercup cheered. Barranco cheered as they both ran off, the yakuza and flower following after them. As they walked, Majima’s expression soured about getting all this potential attention.
He did like attention. He just also liked to spend his time how he wanted to. When he was on break, he wanted to be left alone. Having to hide his identity like a celebrity made his stomach lurch.
Thankfully, he didn’t have to worry about that too much when he felt his phone vibrate. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled it out to see the text. “Time to go and see the movie, punks. C’mon, the sooner we get back the better.”
Buttercup and Barranco stopped and groaned, and followed the man towards where the group were all meeting up. But when she flew back over to her sisters, the green-clad Powerpuff did lighten up again.
At the front of the pack was Caleb, Katania and Gladius. They were standing before a guarded hallway, waiting for the group to all form up.
”Okay, movie starts in a few minutes…” The boy said. He looked over the group. “Is everyone here?” The group all shared looks, then looked back and nodded. The boy sighed and smiled. “Alright! So we’ll have a personal bar for ourselves, just be sure to stay quiet when you go and get yourself something to eat. And do eat something, this’ll be lunch.”
Everyone nodded and headed down the hall, walking past other empty theatre rooms with various movie posters lining the walls. Some were for current or upcoming movies, and others were for classics. Maria mumbled to Manolo about maybe watching Titanic at some point, while Vanellope discussed with the other kids what kind of crazy movies they’d want to see.
Ralph overdramatically frowned, mumbling to Amy “Never show them Despicable Me…”
Dave Overheard him and shot him a glare, but was brushed off as they all filed into the massive theatre room. It was what you would expect, only with all the normal seating replaced with more traditional restaurant seating. Caleb was led to a table off to the side by Kat, which she seemingly claimed the moment they walked in.
”Need a good view of the screen”, She said with a smile.
Caleb rolled his eyes with a smile, and turned his attention to the screen as the lights dimmed. The music for the main Disney logo started to play out, and the bespectacled boy braced himself for a movie that was definitely going to destroy him emotionally. He just knew it.
~X~
About two hours later, the family as a whole left the theatre, discussing the movie and how they felt on it. Reactions were generally positive, with the stand out points being the music and the visuals. Although something everyone definitely agreed was amazing was the main character Mirabel. She had a sort of energy that reminded everyone of a certain someone.
Said certain someone who was stewing with conflicting emotions.
Just as he felt was going to happen, he both loved and hated the movie. Loved because he loved the characters, the world, the music, all of it. But hated it because of a spiteful, burning jealously for a life he never had. For a family that should have been like the Madrigals, especially at the end.
So he walked on with a clouded expression and lips pinched shut, hugging himself as a sort of support. Gladius and Katania were at his side, offering their own reassurances to hopefully keep him from snapping, which was getting progressively harder as the family all made their way outside back towards the limo.
Rainbow bit her lip, looking at her adopted son’s rigid form and tense movement, and cleared her throat. “If it means anything, Caleb, it just shows how irredemable your old parents were…”
Caleb twisted his body a bit, like there was an itch on his back. “I know… It’s just… Why. Why did they treat me so badly. What was so wrong with me that they had to lash out at me specifically.” The family all winced at the mention of ‘lash’. Even though Caleb’s scars had long healed at this point, they were still visible, and almost tended to flair up whenever he was stressed. “Just… Encanto is just making me jealous.”
”Hey, kid, look at me”, Ralph said, speeding ahead so he could kneel in front of the boy. “Even if that al happened, just try and focus on all that you have now. Don’t start spiralling on us just because it makes you jealous you never had a certain life. Because if you did have a life like that… where would that leave all of us?”
Caleb blinked and then wiped his nose, his body relaxing as a smile slowly started to form on his face. “You’re right, Ralph. I wouldn’t have had this life, so I guess in the end it was good.” He looked over his shoulder and smiled, then quickly grabbed Gladius and started to swing him around, running on ahead. “I wouldn’t have gone on a crazy adventure where I saw worlds collide, rules shatter, and…” He stood straight for a moment. “Well, the almost dying wasn’t that good, honestly…”
”But even still!” Kat cheered as she hugged Caleb’s side, making him blush a bit and the rest of the group to share discreet glances. “You got to meet me and Gladius, you have a home, all of that! You’re my best friend anyway, and I don’t think I’d have it any other way!”
Caleb beamed and stabbed Gladius into the ground, who quickly wiggled out and hovered next to his two companions. He crossed his wings, making the boy blush sheepishly.
”Sorry about that, Gladdy…” He said apologetically. “Just getting pumped up again!”
”I know you are, my boy”, the sword said with a laugh. “We just don’t want to have a repeat of last time, right?”
Caleb paled and shook his head. “Definitely not.” He turned around and took a step…
Only for the sound of a deep, booming crack to echo across the parking lot. Everyone froze, eyes wide. The world around them shook a bit, but after a moment everything still. Caleb relaxed and looked between Kat and Gladdy, the three of them sharing a shrug.
But as soon as Caleb took another step, the ground underneath him suddenly cracked apart, starting from where he stabbed Gladius into the ground. With a yelp, the three of them were pulled into a strong force as a portal revealed itself under the pavement.
”CALEB!” Everyone else screeched. They all ran ahead, but were too late as the trio were pulled into the swirl of colours. When Ralph made it over and reached down to them, the portal closed, revealing only pipes and wires.
No one said a word as the gravity of the situation weighed on them, only for Rainbow to finally speak.
”MOTHERFU-”
~X~
And that’s chapter 11 done and dusted. It’s time we begin the next part of the story: A retread of the first DCT! Obviously, it won’t be the same worlds, I want things to still be different. But yeah, more multiverse hopping! I was super excited to get to this point. After so long, we’re here!
I won’t spoilt too much, I’ll give two hints for the upcoming worlds: one is that they are all new, and two is that you already know one of them. That’s all I’ll say.
Another big thing is that Katania is tagging along this time! She is and always was a big part of the cast, considering she’s one of my main three OCs, so this is to make up for not really having her at all except at they beginning and end of the first DCT. She’ll get a lot of moments to shine, you won’t be disappointed,
Anyway, the beginning arc is fully complete! Yep, I’m fully bringing back the arc set-up, they’re just going to be less arcs. To make up for it a majority of them will be longer rather then the majority being three last the first story. So hopefully y’all have fun!
Up next: Off on another inpromptu adventure, Caleb, Gladius and Katania are whisked away to an isolated tropical island in the middle of the pacific that is home to a parculiar hyena and vicious shark…
~Caleb~
Chapter 12: Isolated Island
Summary:
Our displaced trio find themselves on an isolated tropical island that’s home to a certain hungry hyena and his mollusk companion as they try to nab a mermaid…
Oh, and there’s a shark too
Chapter Text
Caleb, Katania and Gladius screamed as they tumbled through the portal. The blinding colours, ear-ringing volume and constant shifting was bringing back too many bad memories for the boy and blade. As they fell through, Gladius was able to correct himself and fly over to his flailing friends.
”Caleb, grab my handle!” the sword barked. “Katania, you hold onto him!”
The two young adults didn’t need to be told twice as they did as they were told, breathing out a sigh of relief. “Okay, note to self…” Caleb said to himself. “Never swing Gladius around ever when I’m happy…”
”But it was so sudden!” Kat cried, eyes a bit wild. “How can a portal open when you’ve been swinging Gladius around for the past three years and nothing!?”
“I have a theory…” Gladius spoke up. “But it might have just been the heightened emotion and the motion of planting me in the ground. I believe… It’s not a sound theory but it’s something. Which is always better than nothing.”
Caleb nodded grimly as he blinked, trying to not let tears escape his eyes. He just closed them and took a deep breath, trying to steel his nerves. Of course, that was nearly impossible considering the circumstances,, but he just swallowed it down to deal with it all later. So he looked head as the distant light at the end of the background.
”Caleb?” Katania asked quietly. “Are you okay…?”
Caleb tried to ignore her, but couldn’t stay silent with her. “No… No I’m not okay. I’m freaking out because we’re doing this all over again, after things were okay for so long. I guess it was too good to be true, huh?” The boy’s grip started to loosen as he rambled. “I mean, what else should I have expected? I’m me, the unluckiest guy in existence! Of course things have to turn ugly eventually, even if it takes years!”
”Caleb, your grip…” Gladius said in panic. But it was too late. The boy’s hands slipped from the sword’s handle, and the two humans were sent tumbling all over again. The sword tried to rectify all of this, but he was kicked by Caleb’s leg and sent spinning, all three of them careening towards the tunnel exit.
The boy cried out in pain, but couldn’t tell what had happened. His reaction made Katania go flying. Thinking fast despite the pain, he lunged at the girl and wrapped his arms around the girl, spinning the two of them around so he was the one that hit the wall of the tunnel. It hurt, but he did his best to ignore it and keep Katania safe. He opened his eyes and looked ahead, seeing they were rapidly approaching the tunnel’s exit.
Caleb closed his eyes again and hugged best friend close protectively as they were thrown out of the portal, and sent crashing into many trees. Caleb took the brunt of the impact, his back colliding with thick leaves and tree trunks before he crashed onto the ground.
With a heavy breath and weak movements, Caleb released his grip on Katania and let his arms go limp on the ground. Gladius came shooting down at lightning speeds, with Caleb just barely dodging as the blade landed right where his head would’ve been. Standing there for a moment let the adrenaline die down, and he cried out in pain as gripped his leg.
”Caleb!” Kat screamed in horror. She rushed over to his side and looked at his leg, wincing at the deep gashed caused by Gladius’ blade. “Oh my god… This… This isn’t good…”
Gladius pulled himself out of the ground and came over, stopping short when he saw the blood dripping from his blade. Gasping in horror, he hovered back a bit before he saw Kat take out his scabbard and offered it to him a bit forcefully. The sword didn’t hesitate to put it on, and when it was on securely, he rushed over and hugged the boy.
”My boy…” Gladius said in a tearful voice. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you, or anything. Please, forgive me…”
”It’s not you…” Caleb paused to wince. “Your fault, Gladdy. I just couldn’t relax… And look at where that got us…” The boy looked behind him to see Kat using leaves they knocked down to make a makeshift bandage. So as she worked away, Caleb limped over to a rock and sat down on it. “This is all on me, Gladdy…”
The sword hovered before the boy, posture more subdued and sad as he looked down at the boy’s injured leg. The blade sighed and moved to rest next to the boy, watching silently as Katania made quick work to get the bandage on.
Caleb let out a whimper as his injury was just barely grazed, then sighed as he was wrapped up. Looking up, he let a few tears fall as he started up at the bright blue sky, feeling so vulnerable and fragile right now.
As he stewed in his thoughts, Katania finished the bandage. “There we go. That should keep things stable for now…”
”How did you learn to do such a thing, Katania?” The sword asked.
”My mom and dad. They know a lot of this sort of stuff, and because my mom wants me to take over as general when I’m older, I need to know a few basic survival tricks.”
The blade nodded and floated up, helping Caleb to his feet. The boy stumbled a bit, then sighed as he looked around. “I don’t know where we are yet, so maybe if we get out of this jungle then we should be okay…”
”I’ll lead the way”, Gladius offered. “Katania, you help him.” The girl nodded and let Caleb lean against her, following the route the sword took as he went higher to see the surroundings.
As the duo walked, Kat looked at her friend. “This isn’t your fault, Caleb… You know that, right?”
Caleb’s lip quivered a bit as more tears trailed down his cheeks. “I honestly do think it’s my fault. And the only reason why is because you got dragged along with it. I bet your mom will have my head whenever we get back…”
”I’ll make sure she doesn’t”, Katania responded fiercely. “She knows not to make me mad, I inherited her burning defiant glare after all. And as her daughter, even she crumbles under it.”
Caleb weakly chuckled. “Thanks, Kat. That means a lot…”
”And, if it means anything…” The general’s daughter said with a kind tone. “I’m actually kinda excited for this. Going on an adventure like what you did that while ago would just be… nice. Especially since it’s with you and Gladdy.”
Caleb’s smile grew a bit more stronger, only for both the duo to jump when Gladius suddenly shouted, forcing them to look up. “There’s a beach not far from here!”
The duo looked ahead and tried to go faster, but with Caleb’s injury they couldn’t go too crazy. As they neared the end, Gladius came down and started hacking away any plant-life that stood in the way (after handing Katania his scabbard, of course). With the way more clear, the trio made it to the fresh beach-side air.
Caleb took in a deep whiff of the breeze, and coughed at how surprisingly salty it was. “What the heck?! Are we in the middle of the ocean?!”
Gladius silently responded by flying way up high, then coming back down shortly after. “It appears so. We’re on a fairly isolated island… although there are some landmarks of note I spotted.”
”What are they, Gladdy?” Katania asked.
”There’s a military base with a fenced in water area around the back, what looks to be a plane trapped in a massive tree, and as you can see a massive volcano.” He gestured to the last mentioned landmark, and the two young adults looked up with wide-eyes at the towering, rusty orange volcano.
The sight of it made something click in Caleb’s head, and he looked out towards the open waters. Squinting his eyes, he could see something in the distance. It looked to be a mermaid, with tanned skin, a bright green tail and mahogany hair sitting on a rock singing to a surrounding school of fish and various other sea life.
”Oh crap I know where we are…” The boy said in dread.
His two friends faced him in concern. “Why are you so scared of it?” Gladius asked.
”Because we’re in the universe of Zig & Sharko, where a hyena who lives on this island tries to eat that mermaid”, he pointed to the distant mermaid, “while being bested by her shark boyfriend. Basically think Wile E. Coyote Vs The Roadrunner, but the slapstick is dialled up to eleven.”
Katania paled while Gladius looked down. ”Oh dear…” He mumbled. “So… Where is this hyena?”
The boy looked to the left, and his friends followed his gaze. Sure enough, down the beach was a bipedal hyena with brown fur, a cream coloured underbelly, massive nose that accentuated his massive teeth, and a pretty messy mane of hair down his back. With him was a small shelled animal with large eyes and a red body poking out of his cream coloured shell.
”That’s Zig the hyena”, Caleb explained. “And Bernie the… Honestly I don’t know what he is. He’s supposed to be a hermit crab, I think…”
”I never seen a hermit crab that looks like that”, Katania said in confusion. “He looks more like a nautilus…”
”I concur”, Gladius said with a firm nod. He then looked back out towards the mermaid. “What are the maiden and shark’s names?”
”Marina and Sharko”, the bespectacled boy said with a half shrug. “Marina is super ditzy and easily distracted in certain circumstances, while Sharko is basically a stereotypical jock more or less. So it’s best to not cross them.”
”What happens if we do?” Kat asked. Her question was answered when Zig, who crossed towards Marina’s rock, only for Sharko to come out of the water and blast the hyena back with a deadly punch. The trio winced as Zig crashed into a tree, squished like a bug.
”Ouch…” Caleb said, hissing in sympathy. This was enough to attract the attention of Bernie, who finally looked over at the trio. They simply waved back silently, which only seemed to beckon him closer.
The small mollusk-like creature stopped just before them, letting out a curious squeak as he gave the trio a scrutinising glance.
”H-Hey”, Caleb said in an uncertain tone. “We… Uhhhh… We got stranded on your island, and now we’re kinda… stuck. We won’t bother you if you don’t bother us, okay?”
Bernie glanced back at Zig, who was still recovering from the punch, and then looked back at the trio. With a confident squeak and a determined look, he started to head back to his smooshed friend, gesturing for the trio to follow.
The three friends shared a look, but followed Bernie regardless. “If he tries to offer us to Zig, I’m crushing him”, Katania mumbled with a dangerous edge.
”Go ahead, these guys are all basically invincible”, Caleb mumbled back. As they neared the almost fully recovered hyena, Caleb let out a yelp and collapsed onto the ground, gripping his bandaged injury.
Bernie turned around in concern, while Zig was more confused by the sudden new strangers. He walked up and tapped the mollusk on the shell, having a silent conversation with his partner in crime before looking at the strangers with an indecipherable look.
”We had an accident when we got stranded”, Katania said as she looked over her friend carefully. “We don’t want to mess with what you two have going on. Just let us find some shelter for a while, and we can get going in a day or two.”
Zig made a thinking vocalisation, glancing over at Marina, who was completely oblivious to everything. Shrugging, the hyena grinned and gave the trio a thumbs up, heading into the jungle to probably make something to let Caleb rest on. Kat smiled after him.
”Thank you!” She called. While she couldn’t see it, Zig did stop and look back at the girl, blinking a bit in shock. He then shrugged and returned to his task at hand.
Bernie, meanwhile, went into his shell for a brief moment and came out with a proper first aid kit. The general’s daughter shared a baffled look with Gladius, but didn’t say anything as the mollusk got to work to actually bandage Caleb’s injury. Upon seeing how bad it was, Bernie audibly shrieked in shock, before getting to work after the other two shot him a concerned look.
When Caleb was bandaged up, Zig left the jungle with a makeshift lawn chair. Gladius went over to help him set it up, as Katania and Bernie helped Caleb off the ground and onto the chair. Zig winced at the sight of blood staining the bandage, making him take a step back.
When he was situated, he let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks guys…” He then glanced at the hyena and mollusk, smiling gratefully. “And especially thank you both. Without you, I’d probably be in pain for a long while.”
Zig gave another thumbs up and Bernie saluted, before they both went off to whatever hair-brain scheme they were concocting next to hopefully bag Marina.
”Shouldn’t we stop them?” Kat said as she sat on the sand next to the DIY lawn chair. “Like, they want to kill a living person…”
”Bernie is more sensible for the most part”, Caleb said quietly. “And doesn’t always help with these schemes. And Zig always fails somehow because his luck is that bad. So just sit back and watch the fireworks…”
Kat shrugged and leaned back, watching the island duo work away. Gladius hummed, glancing over at the distant mermaid. Flexing his wings a bit, he made his way over towards her…
~X~
When he reached the mermaid, Gladius was surprised at how beautiful her voice was. And it explained the crowd of fish, lobsters and sea turtles she was amassing. But Marina seemed to either not care or not notice, so sucked into her combing her hair.
As Gladius neared a bit, he paused when he saw the dorsal fin of whom he assumed was Sharko. Based on the massive shadow just underneath the water’s surface, it was clear the mermaid guardian was a massive Great White Shark. The blade swallowed nervously, and approached more, seemingly set on just studying the mermaid and shark up close and personal.
When he was just barely outside of the crowd, Sharko finally emerged from the water and glared at him. Gladius simply bowed and made his way over.
“Greetings, sir”, the sword began. “My name is Gladius. You don’t need to worry about me, I’m just here to see what all this hubbub about a mermaid is.” Sharko crossed his arms and grunted. “No no no, See, myself and two friends are somewhat stranded here. My other two friends are on the island, as there was an accident that injured one.” Gladius sighed. “SO we’re stuck here for a bit. But we do mean you and the mermaid no harm.”
Sharko glanced at Marina, and then around Gladius towards the island. Squinting, sure enough, he saw Caleb and Katania on the beach, frowning a bit when he spotted Caleb’s cast. And that frown only deepened when he saw the blood.
Pointing at the island, Sharko mumbled intelligible nonsense. The sword nodded. “Those are my friends, yes. The one in the chair is the one that was hurt. If you do need to take your anger out on Zig, please make sure neither of them are disturbed.”
Sharko nodded and dived back underwater, leaving Gladius to turn his full attention towards Marina. Much to his surprise, she was now looking at him with a very curious glance.
”Greetings, ma’am”, the sword said with a bow. “I’m but a humble traveller who was stranded on the island with two friends. I’m simply here to see you in action, is all.”
Marina let out a concerned coo, looking past the sword towards the island. With a sad smile, she asked something in her gibberish that caught the sword off guard.
“You wish to meet my friends?!” Sharko emerged from the water, a bit surprised himself. He and the sword shared a look, before the blade nodded carefully. “Yes, you may. But only if Sharko accompanies you, I don’t trust you alone with the hyena.”
Sharko sighed as Marina squealed in delight, diving into the water and heading towards the island. Sharko levelled the sword with a light glare, with said sword looking defiant in return. “Don’t give me that look, she wanted to do it all on her own. Besides, I said she could only go if you tagged along as an escort.”
Sharko huffed and reentered the water, following after the mermaid. Gladius was right behind, seeing how his two friends weren’t any the wiser to what was happening.
With said two friends, they were quietly discussing amongst themselves about their current situation.
”So… How long was Gladius’ portal cooldown again?” Katania asked.
”About a day or two”, Caleb responded. “Depends on the world I think. Any service with your phone yet?”
”Nope… And I found out it means I can’t open portals. Are you sure yours is dead?”
Caleb pulled his phone out and pressed the power button, getting no response from the small device. “I’m pretty sure it’s dead.”
”So we are stranded…” Katania said in defeat, slumping like a ragdoll. “So we just have to wait and see what happens?”
”Pretty much…” Caleb trailed off when he saw Gladius come back over, with Marina and Sharko climbing out of the ocean and walking on land with their tail flippers. “Like that… Gladius, what the heck did you do?”
”I told Marina about you, and she wanted to meet you properly”, the sword said with a shrug. The mermaid bounced over excitedly, but stopped short when she saw the blood soaked bandage. She looked horrified, which made Caleb chuckle a bit weakly.
”Yeah, me and Gladius don’t really have the best track record with landing anywhere…” That made him realise something. “Oh yeah… I guess we never introduced ourselves properly.” He looked at the mermaid and shark with a smile. “My name is Caleb, this is my best friend Katania…”
”Hi”, Kat said shyly with a wave as Caleb gestured at her.
”And you already met Gladius”, he gestured at the sword, who bowed.
Marina smiled and rambled off gibberish… which Caleb and Katania could shockingly understand. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Marina. You too, Sharko.” The shark huffed and smiled, nodding once as he crossed his arms. “And don’t worry, we’ll help out when it comes to Zig. Sure, he and Bernie helped us out with… this…” he motioned towards the chair and cast. “But I definitely don’t want you to bite the bullet, Marina.”
The mermaid smiled and leaned down, planting a kiss On the boy’s cheek. While he blushed, Sharko and Katania silently fumed. But when the mermaid parted and the shark got a bit defensive, Katania started to wonder internally why she felt like that.
Her internal musings were cut short, however, when Zig and Bernie returned from the jungle with supplies for their latest scheme. They both stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Marina and Sharko just there with their new guests. The shark just gruffly snarled and picked Marina like a plank of wood. The mermaid seemed totally fine with it, as she waved goodbye to Caleb and the others as she was brought back into the water.
Zig and Bernie looked at their guests, and Gladius shrugged. “Marina wanted to meet them.” Zig looked to the side thoughtfully, then shrugged and nodded. That seemed to be completely expected of Marina, and even he accepted that. But when that moment passed, the hyena and mollusk got to work on their next contraption, using some fairly detailed blueprints to get started.
Katania hummed and returned to looking down at her phone, scrolling through social media with her mobile to pass the time. Caleb huffed out a laugh and relaxed in his chair, letting the ocean breeze wash over him. The sky was clear, and the clouds were sparse.
This was pretty nice…
~X~
After Zig had failed with a few more ideas for catching Marina, it was now night. The mollusk helped Kat and Caleb out as the group of five headed to where the hyena and mollusk called home. Which happened to be a little shack along the beach, just at the edge of the jungle.
Zig explained in his usual gibberish that they built this place for themselves at some point just so they could feel more secure. Plus, it kept all manner of jungle animals out, which Zig was forever grateful for.
As Bernie made some spare mattresses and blankets for their guests, Caleb sat on a stool, looking out a window and up at the starry night sky.
”Are you okay, Caleb?” Gladius asked as he and Katania came to his sides.
”Just worried about the others…” He responded with a shaky tone. “I bet they’re worried sick about us…”
”They definitely are, but they’re also all strong”, Kat said as she hugged her depressed friend. “And when we get back, it’ll be all the more magical.”
Caleb nodded as he stared up at the moon, catching sight of a shooting star passing behind it. At the same time, night in the Capital was a complete mess of worry and fear. In Rainbow and Virus’ home above the castle, the whole family were hard at work looking for any sign of their missing members.
Which wasn’t going smoothly.
”What do you mean the phones don’t have trackers in them?!” Rainbow screeched at her husband, making the nearby Team E-Scope to cover their ears and wince.
”I never felt it was necessary!” Virus roared back, his stress evident. “Considering how things were, I thought Gladius couldn’t just open portals like that!” Ralph and Spamley shared a miserable look, while Ruby looked close to tears.
”These two are going to give me a headache…” Majima sighed out as he messaged his temple. “Hey, both of you! Maybe if you two just shut the fuck up and focus, maybe we would have found the two punks by now!”
”SHUT UP MAJIMA!” Rainbow and Virus shouted back so forcefully, most of the family were nearly knocked off their feet. Those that weren’t were forced to cover their ears and wince. Majima looked terrified as he took a few steps back, hands raised in surrender.
”Never piss off already angry gods, now you know”, Maria spat as she looked over a map of the multiverse for any clue to where the missing trio could’ve gone. “Just ignore them and help us out here, Goro. The more hands on deck, the better.”
Majima sighed and joined her, not even trying to catch his look of concern as he scanned over the map. The boarding school graduate caught it and pat him on the back reassuringly, making the yakuza take a deep breath. The rest of the family were doing all they could to help, even if it made everything look a bit like a mess. But they’d stop at nothing till they brought Caleb, Kat and Gladius back home.
Absolutely nothing.
~X~
And so ends the next chapter. And yes, this is where this multiversal adventure is starting, in the universe of Zig & Sharko! It’s always was a fav show of mine (namely seasons one and two), and getting it included with the DCT canon has always been on a priority list of mine, Fun fact, but when I was making the first story I was thinking of just including this show there. Hence why the pre-edited version of TIYCC and the oldest cover for that story had Sharko in it.
But after some thought, I realised I didn’t want that and changed it up so they came long after that whole plot line. But here they are now!
About this chapter itself, I wanted to handicap the trio. So no service to open portals, Caleb’s battery is dead, and he’s also freaking injured! So that will cause some conflict for a while. Hope you look forward to that!
I’ll wrap this up now, but I did want to talk about a big milestone this chapter releasing means: The main DCT series has now surpassed 900k words. Just need 100k more and I’ll have hit the incredibly insane 1 million total words. Yes, I’m that close. I’ve been writing for too long…
Anyway, hope you all loved this more simple chapter!
Up next: Despite being injured, Caleb and his companions still find ways to get involved with Zig’s insane scheme’s to bag Marina. Even if the hyena is alone with it, he still keeps on trying…
~Caleb~
Chapter 13: Shipwrecked Ambition
Summary:
After a simple question has Zog contemplate what his goal really is, Caleb has to try and convince Sharko things are changing for the better...
Chapter Text
Caleb awoke with a start when zig crashed through the roof of the hut, looking worse for wear as his head was forced into a tree log. Katania came in looking panicked, quickly healing before the hyena and trying to help him get unstuck. With his concern and curiosity peaked, he moved so he was sitting us, his leg still feeling a bit sore.
”What the heck happened?” He asked.
Katania grunted, trying to wedge the log off their friend. “Me, Zig and Gladdy headed out to try and get some food, but of course we came across a particularly angry gorilla who just gunned it at Zig with no warning. Gladius tried to ward it off…”, She paused when her grip slipped, “…But it just booked it and pummelled Zig. And after a good punch… Yeah…”
Caleb frowned and crawled over, grabbing the log with Kat and helping her get it off the hyena. With the extra help, it came off with ease, though Zig’s head now looked like it came right out of a pickle jar. He slammed a fist on top of his misshapen head, and it was back as it should be. Letting out a sigh, the hyena sat down on a makeshift stool, looking defeated.
”Everything okay, Zig?” Caleb asked carefully.
The hyena started to sound off his intelligible nonsense, and went into detail about how bad of luck he seemed to have with anything. Even when he went to Africa to be with his kind once, it was failure after failure. And how it was even more crushing considering he came from a family of very prolific fishers. He just couldn’t catch a break, and he only really went after Marina because she was a consistent target.
Kat sat next to him and pet his head. “It’s okay, Zig. If you just keep trying, someday you will finally claim some sort of victory.”
The hyena perked up, and grinned. He let out his signature laugh and rushed out of the hut, nearly knocking Bernie and Gladius over as the two of them came in with various fruits and fish.
”What’s going on with him?” The sword asked as he set down his baskets of bananas and berries.
”I think I just encouraged him to keep trying his hardest to bag Marina…” Katania said with a frown. “Uhhhhh… Oops.”
Bernie let out a disappointed squeak and a sigh, setting down his basket of fish. He walked over to a stove that Caleb assumed he built, and turned it on. As the fire inside warmed up, the mollusk walked over and climbed up onto Caleb’s shoulder, giving the boy a patient and curious look.
”Whatcha’ want, Bernie?” The boy asked with a light smile.
The questionable hermit crab made a motion with one of his hands, clearly wanting Caleb to explain his and his friends’ sudden appearance. The boy pursed his lips, glancing at his two companions with uncertainty. They both shared a look, then gave the boy a shrug. With a sigh, Caleb decided to just bite the bullet.
”Well, we come from a far away land”, Caleb started. “A place where the impossible is possible. About… Three-ish years back, me and Gladius accidentally opened a portal that sent us to multiple worlds where we met fantastic people…”
Bernie looked at the sword, and he nodded. “Yes, and we were desperate to get home. It took us a month or two to finally get back, but along the way we met a lot of fantastic people.”
”Kat was living in this fantastical place long before me”, Caleb added. “But I found a home there. But now, after a little hiccup, we’re stranded here and need to get back.”
”It’s a lot more complicated than that”, Katania spoke up. “But it’s honestly not that bad. Everyone is wonderful, and if you could meet them, I’m sure they’d all love you. Zig… That’ll take a bit.” That made everyone chuckle, with Bernie’s laughter dying out quickly so he could spy around the group.
They seemed so friendly and sincere, which did make the mollusk think a bit. But his train of thought was thrown off when he saw that the stove was heated up enough. With a happy glint, he took some of the fish over and put them on a pan, having them cook as they all relaxed. With the fish now baking, the group all continued to explain to Bernie everything they did on the last adventure and over the last three years.
Of course, they stayed vague enough as to not blab about all the full truths about the multiverse. But even if they left details out, Bernie was enamoured by everything, but was especially interested when they talked about their more inventive friends. The mollusk explained how much he and Zig always wanted to meet more people who had that level of creative genius, so if they could meet them it would be so nice.
Right at that point, Zig walked with a cluster of sea urchins covering his face, completely shrouding it in black spikes. Caleb frowned as the hyena brushed off all the urchins, sitting down next to Katania with a sour expression. When Bernie offered him some of the cooked fish, Zig took it and started to chew into it with a frustrated glare.
”I’m assuming it didn’t go well, Zig?” Caleb asked as he took his fish and fruit. The hyena sighed and nodded, grumbling bitterly at another failed plan. “Well… I know this is a bit weird to ask… Why do you keep going after Marina if you have other options for food? I mean… we’re eating fish right now.”
Zig sighed and said that it was more for the pride thing. Kinda like a hunter. Caleb gained a conflicted look, letting out a hum. “I get that, Zig. But… you want to eat her, not throw her up like a trophy. And… Marina is also half human in a way. Would you go after me or Kat at all?” Zig shook his head. “Then why keep going after Marina? What would you get out of it? A one time meal?”
Zig opened his mouth to fire off a counter-argument, but then snapped it shut and looked like Sharko’s fist was flying at him. Looking down at the fish he was eating, the look in his eyes showed how conflicted the idea made him. Katania shared a worried look with Gladius and Caleb, but the boy simply scooted closer to the hyena.
”I’m sorry if I was blunt, Zig”, the boy said calmly. “But really, why do you keep going after Marina? Clearly you and Bernie have more than enough here to sustain yourselves. Why not, I don’t know, make inventions that you can sell to the creatures of the sea?”
Zig blinked a bit in surprise as Bernie made a few excited and happy squeaks. The hyena remained silent, however, as he stood up and walked out of the hut, taking his food with him. Katania started to get up and chase after him, but Caleb stopped her. He shook his head, silently saying Zig needed to be alone. So the general’s daughter sat back down and returned to her meal, occasionally glancing at the front door.
Bernie decided to follow after his best friend, leaving the trio of Capital residents on their own. They just remained silent as the mollusk ran out, making his way over to his friend.
Zig was sitting on a rock, munching on his fish as he looked out towards Marina with a sombre look. He was clearly very conflicted right now, and was stumped on what to do. So Bernie just silently sat beside him, both their thoughts stewing.
Gladius watched them from afar through the window, half listening to the conversation Caleb and Katania were having. Letting out a sigh, he decided to explore more of the island to pass the time.
~X~
A few hours later, Caleb was outside walking along the beach. His leg still hurt, so Bernie was kind enough to make him a crutch so he could actually walk around on his own. The boy was grateful to not be stuck sitting forever, and hoped that this would help the injury heal faster. Maybe.
Looking out towards the water, he saw Marina using Sharko as a makeshift diving board to do flashy flips for her adoring fanbase. With a half smile, he sat right at the water’s edge and picked up a seashell, tossing it over towards them with all his strength. When it splashed, Marina stumbled and failed as the shark looked over. When the mermaid regained her balance, the two stars of the ocean looked over and saw Caleb waving at them.
Marina squealed happily and dove into the water, making her way over to the boy. Sharko just shrugged and followed after her, the duo soon reaching the boy. Marina emerged from the water and sat next to the boy, her tail before her. Caleb chuckled and looked at Sharko, who chose to stay in the water.
”So, how are you two doing?” The boy asked happily. Marina made a raspberry sound with her lips and then smiled, while Sharko just grunted with an eyeroll. “I’m assuming it’s pretty busy then?”
Marina nodded and hummed in agreement, making Caleb face her, then started to go on about how much she had planned to do today, but how Zig showing up twice kinda slowed things down. So she decided to just spend the day chilling on her rock just messing around and showing off.
”Sounds fun!” The boy said. He then looked back at Sharko. “What about you, Sharko? Aside from being Marina’s personal high dive, what else did you do today?”
Sharko shrugged and explained how his day started out, and how he was hoping to do some rounds of Ping-Pong tennis as some nice warm-up for a future competition he was eyeing to join, of course, that went out the window when Zig decided to launch into some of his hairbrained schemes. But then the shark added it was strange that he kinda just went missing after that.
”Yeah, I actually wanted to talk to you guys about that…” Caleb looked up a bit so he could see the horizon of the ocean alongside the bright blue sky. “Earlier, Kat and I made Zig need to have a walk and just think about some things. He’s still on the island, don’t worry. I just… He seemed to really be hit with the reality of a lot of things…”
Sharko asked what happened.
”Well, me and Kat both questioned why Zig needed to keep going after Marina if he had more than enough food here. When he said it was a pride and honour thing, we countered back that that isn’t really worth the constant injury and such if his main goal was to eat Marina. So… We asked him, ’Was it really worth it?‘”
The mermaid looked at the boy thoughtfully, while Sharko just grunted and argued this was all a ploy to get Marina. The hyena was really crafty, and how Zig has done similar things in the past.
”I get that, Sharko, but I think this time it’s legit. Zig looked… sad, before he walked off with Bernie.” Caleb shook his head and looked between the two stars of the ocean. “I think this time is legit. Even if you two don’t believe me, I just wanted to give you both a heads up in case he walks up to you guys at all. Just know it doesn’t have an ulterior motive.”
Sharko didn’t seem convinced, simply crossing his fins and grumbling how all of this seemed like just a trap. But he just let it go as the boy returned to looking out towards the ocean.
“I really do Think you two should just hear him out”, Caleb continued. “I mean, you guys are friends, right?”
The mermaid and shark shared a look, then both shrugged with a half nod.
”Yeah, you kinda are. So just hear him out. And if things get ugly, then me, Kat and Gladius will step in and stop him. Plus, I’m positive Bernie will also help you guys out. Trust me.”
Sharko let out a heavy sigh and reluctantly nodded, while Marina clapped her hands excitedly and bobbed up and down. She suddenly stood up and grabbed Caleb’s hand, leading him down the beach. The boy did his best to keep up with his crutch, but thankfully Sharko caught up and helped the boy steady himself. The boy shot the shark a grateful smile, and they both followed behind Marina at a much steadier pace.
”You know, I’m surprised she’s so fast on land”, Caleb said with a chuckle as the mermaid raced ahead. Her tail fins almost looked to be spinning with how fast they moved.
Sharko laughed, saying how the boy should see her in the water. Being the daughter of Poseidon just made her a naturally strong swimmer. Caleb nodded, but in his head he was partially confused. He thought Marina’s dad was a random sailor who used to live on the island, why was there stuff about her being the daughter of the Greek god of the sea?
And the more he thought, the more he was wondering where this ‘yellow plane in a tree’ Gladius mentioned when they first showed up. It never was in the original show… So where did it come from?
He shook the thought aside as he looked back ahead, surprised to see Marina was leading the two of them to the old army base. It was a pretty simple set up, with a green hangar/headquarters combo, surrounded by a fence that gave it a decently sized water front.
Marina bounced excitedly by the locked back of the building, pointing at the door. Sharko sighed and stepped ahead, making sure Caleb and Marina were a safe distance away before completely pulverising the metal door off its hinges. Caleb winced at the loud sound, but soon stumbled in after Marina to see what this place had in store.
Looking around, the building had a security monitor system of the whole island, which made the boy really wonder what this place’s purpose was for. Marina didn’t seem to care all that much, seemingly preferring to sit and spin on the office chair while pressing all the buttons and switches she could.
Sharko walked over to the open hangar door and decided to take a swim in the gated part of the water. Caleb watched him for a while before limping over to an extra chair and sitting down in it, rolling over next to Marina. Looking at the screens, Caleb hummed as he spotted Zig and Bernie on one of them, with Kat walking up to them with a concerned frown.
Stepping over some branches, Katania knelt down and gave the melancholy Zig a look that pierced into his soul. “Zig, you’ve been acting weirder than what I’m used to. Seriously, what is going on? Bernie wants to know, too.” The mollusk let out a concerned squeak with a nod.
The hyena, realising he was backed into a corner, sighed and started to ramble in his gibberish about how Caleb and Kat’s questions kinda made him need to really reflect and think. Yes, Marina is his friend, yes, he’d just get a one and done thing for finally bagging her, and he’d probably make Sharko his tormentor for life. As he looked over it all… None of it was worth it in the long run.
As the hyena ranted on and on, Bernie and Katania sat down, listening intently and with concerned looks. Through the camera, back at the army base, Caleb and Marina were watching the hyena completely break in a way that was so foreign it was almost uncanny. Marina’s lip wobbled as the words really struck a chord with her, and seeing how much this was eating Zig up… She knew what had to be done.
Looking at Caleb, she mumbled something in his ear. Caleb blinked a bit in surprise, then glanced back at Sharko. “Are you sure he’d be fine with it? I mean… this would be huge…”
Marina nodded with determination, glancing back at the shark of her dreams with a light glare. She blabbed out how if she wanted Sharko to go with this, her word would make him listen. So she stood up and cleared her throat loudly, which snapped the shark’s attention at her. The mermaid smiled and jumped into the water with him, leaving Caleb alone at the camera monitors.
Looking back at the screen with the hyena, he saw Zig was finally done ranting, and was sitting next to Kat as she, himself and Bernie all leaned against a tree.
”I get it’s hard, Zig”, Katania said reassuringly as she rubbed the hyena’s back. ”But now you can carve a brighter path for yourself! Sure, things might seem uncertain right now, but putting your mind to it will help you accomplish whatever. Because now… you don’t have to worry about Sharko beating you up!” Zig half nodded to that. “And you also can just… hang out. Hang out with Marina and Sharko without anything going wrong.”
Zig perked up a bit with that, and started to smile more as Bernie started squeaking out his own excitement with this new prospect. The hyena then had his smile fall as he pulled out a book from nowhere and opened it to a certain page. In it were a couple of photos of presumably his ancestors, and seeing them all posing as they tackled and bested multiple sea monsters.
With a grunt, he closed the book and threw it away, standing up and posing triumphantly. With more determined gibberish, he vowed to finally make something for himself. He had so many skills, and was going to make use of all of them.
Katania and Bernie clapped happily with bright looks, still completely unaware they were being watched. Back at the army base, Caleb leaned back in his chair with a confident smile. “That’s my Kat.”
Behind him were Marina and Sharko. The mermaid was pointing at the screen, giving the shark a bit of a hard look as if saying ‘He told you so’. Sharko himself seemed to finally understand what Caleb meant by earlier, and that it seemed their rivalry was finally over.
With a defeated sigh, he nodded and mumbled something out, which made Marina smile. Caleb laughed and stood up, the shark helping him as he readjusted his crutch. With a new plan set, the trio left the army base back to the front of the island.
~X~
As the sun started setting on the island, the front of Zig and Bernie’s hut was lively with activity… for the most part. Sharko was more off to the side, his arms crossed as the others had fun. Zig was talking up a storm after putting his suppressed culinary skills to good use, making a wonderful dinner that everyone was loving.
Marina was in heaven, the food in her mouth almost making her burst into tears. She swallowed and praised Zig, which made the hyena all the more proud. But as the conversation went on, she looked over at Sharko. He lightly glared and looked to the side, which made the mermaid a bit saddened. So with a plan formulated in her head, she called Zig and subtly nodded at the shark.
Caleb and Kat shared a nervous look as the hyena abandoned his outdoor kitchen setup and walked over to the shark with a plate of food. He offered it to the brute, who gruffly took it and paused before taking a bite. There was a long bout of silence as the two stared at each other.
Then the shark took his bite, and smiled. Zig smiled back and went back to his setup, letting the little mingling continue on. Only now Sharko was more involved, finally letting his walls down as he embraced the relaxing time. As they all relaxed, though, Caleb looked out towards the ocean with a concerned look.
”Everything okay, Caleb?” Katania asked quietly.
”Do you know where Gladius went?” He answered in a whisper. “Because I haven’t seen him since the morning…”
”I… I haven’t, no. That’s… That’s not like him…” She glanced at the ocean, then to the jungle, then back to her friend. “You don’t think something happened to him, do you?”
”I think something did… And whatever it was, it’s not good…”
Little did he know, his companion through thick and thin was in trouble. Just under the water’s surface, the blade was struggling to free himself as an orca dragged him deeper underwater, bringing him to a some sort of palace on an underwater cliff. Something was brewing, and it wasn’t going to be pretty…
~X~
And that’s chapter 13 done! A bit of a short chapter, but that’s mainly because I didn’t really know what to fully do that allowed Caleb, Kat and Gladdy organically fit into the cartoon hyjinx without them just being spectators to the whole endeavour. So I decided on a more light-hearted chapter to just develop everyone a bit more.
So yeah, we also get set up for the next chapter with a kidnapped Gladius. Trust me, this next one will have the sort of zany t cartoon violence you expect out of Zig & Sharko. So keep your eyes peeled for that!
Anyway, hope you all loved this chapter as always.
Up next: A kidnapped Gladius leads to Caleb being taken next, making Kat and the island quartet join forces to stop the all too familiar lunatic and save their taken friends…
~Caleb~
Chapter 14: Marina's Trench
Summary:
When a certain someone familiar to the island quartet rears his ugly mug, Katania and them have to team up when Caleb and Gladius are kidnapped…
Chapter Text
Early the next morning, Caleb was wandering around the beach with Katania, Zig and Bernie. The four of them were starting their island-wide search for Gladius, who still had yet to show up. Caleb was getting panicked, as his memories to an instance in the past scarily similar to this started to flood his mind. While Kat did reassure him, she herself was losing hope as the group started their search.
Zig and Bernie led them into the jungle, and as a group they looked around every tree, under every rock, into every cave and anywhere else that was feasible. As the group crossed over a chasm, using a fallen tree as a bridge, Caleb swallowed thickly.
”Okay, I honestly think something else happened to him”, Caleb said, the panic slowly rising in his voice. “It’s been a few hours already, and he’s nowhere. If he’s not stuck, someone must’ve kidnapped him. Because, like, why hasn’t he just flown back?”
”Caleb, relax!” Katania said reassuringly, masking her own worry well. “We’ll find him, I just know it. He’s probably just… really stuck somewhere.” She faced the hyena and mollusk. “Do you two have a good idea where Gladius could’ve ended up that’d make him stay trapped?”
Zig gave off a thoughtful look, before cringing, explaining to the two humans the very bad places the sword could’ve ended up: Either in the volcano with the weirdo god that lives inside, under the island and trapped in an ancient temple with a rabid Egyptian empress, snagged by some freak who fishes into the jungle in the denser part, and a variety of other places that were a very big no-go when it came to safety.
With each path of danger listed off, Caleb only looked more and more stuck in his flaring dread and panic, which made the general’s daughter silent the two animals and give her friend a very nervous smile. But the boy didn’t really care, rather stumbling back the way they came so he could lean against a tree, trying to keep his rapidly beating heart in check.
Katania shared a look with the others and rushed over to his side, giving him a concerned look.
”I hate this…” Caleb said in a ragged tone. “I can’t handle this! Why is it there always has to be some sort of danger wherever we go?!” He stood back up, stumbling with his crutch. “First we get whisked away on an adventure after our movie, dragging you along”, he gestured at Kat frantically, “then my leg gets hurt and I need a crutch, and now Gladius is probably kidnapped by one of the lunatics that call this island home!”
Zig looked up and shared a heartbroken look with Bernie before walking up and patting the boy’s arm. He looked down and sniffled, watching as the tropical island duo pantomimed how they weren’t gonna stop at anything till they knew Gladius was safe and sound. Even with the hurdles, the two of them would help Caleb and Kat no matter what.
Bernie, decided to really show his dedication, jumped off of Zig and onto Kat, using her as a bridge to perch onto Caleb’s shoulder and give him a reassuring and hopeful look.
The boy closed his eyes, and when he opened them again he smiled at his friends. “Thanks guys. I needed that. So…” He looked across the ravine and into a cave that went right into the volcano. “Let’s go and save my sword.”
The group all nodded and headed back across the log, their faces filled with determination as they entered the darkness of the cave. Even if it was scary, they were still terrified. But unbeknownst to them, they were being spied on by a little lobster with a set of binoculars. When the group vanished into the cave, the lobster squinted his eyes and left, heading back all the way to the beach and into the water.
As the lobster putted through the ocean, he unknowingly passed by Sharko and Marina’s undersea home. The shark was out front gardening, but paused when he watched the lobster pass by. He instantly recognised the crustacean and decided to stealthily follow after him, ducking behind rocks and the like.
Soon, the shark saw exactly who he was fearing it would be. The lobster was a servant of King Neptune, which made the Great White’s nostrils flare. But he still remained silent as he quietly swam up to one of the palace’s massive windows, and discreetly looked inside.
As the shark watched the lobster stop just before a throne and bow, he felt his anger already rising at the sight of the childish and pompous bratty king of Neptune, who had a neutral look on his face. but as the shark’s eyes wandered up, they bugged out in horror as he saw Gladius strapped to a board above the throne on the wall, looking like an artefact. The blade was locked in place, unable to move at all.
Sharko then looked down at the lobster again, watching as he told Neptune something. This made the king laugh and then snap his fingers, Gladius actually moving around a bit in a panic. Two orcas came before the king, and he grinned evilly and pointed ahead towards the door. Sharko panicked as the orcas saluted, and hid under the cliff as the king’s henchmen swam off at speeds right towards the island.
Sharko blinked as they left, and was about to go and free Gladius, only to remember the king’s trident. But then something else clicked in his head… and he instantly went into a full panic.
With adrenaline spiking in his system, the shark bolted after the orcas with a desperate look in his eyes.
Back on the island, the group of sword finders scrambled out of the most dense part of the jungle, narrowly avoiding the fishing hook of the crazy fisher that the hyena warned them about. With a collective sigh, the group started to walk along the beach in defeat, having come up empty handed. Everywhere they went, Gladius was nowhere to be seen. The volcano god didn’t have him, the undead pharaoh didn’t have him, and the fisherman didn’t have him.
And because of that, Caleb’s dread was starting to settle back in. He was starting to worry Gladius was lost somewhere in the ocean, so he looked out to the endless expanse of blue with a miserable look. But he stopped when he saw something sticking out of the water a distance away. His heart soaring a bit, he made the others stop and look over.
”Guys, I think that’s Gladdy!” Caleb said happily.
Kat tilted her head in uncertainty. “Are you sure, Caleb? Gladius isn’t all… black…” She started to trail off when a second black lump poked out of the water, and slowly started to head towards them. The group started to back up a bit fearfully until they saw two orcas leave the water and walk out onto the beach with emotionless gazes.
The group all shared nervous looks, only for Bernie and Zig to gain alarmed looks at the sudden realisation of how bad things were. The hyena rushed forward bravely, shouting out a battle cry as Bernie took the two humans’ hands and ran back into the jungle. As they ran back into the thicket, Zig was slammed back and crushed into a tree, letting out a pained cry.
”What the heck is happening?!” Kat screeched. She never got an answer as she was knocked aside, landing face first on the ground. Spinning around, she was horrified to watch as the two orcas grabbed Caleb and started to take him away. “CALEB!”
The girl gave chase, shoving past the plant-life. But as she went to trip one of the orcas, the other one picked her up with ease and threw her back into the sand like a wet towel. She spat out sand and looked over as her friend had a snorkel set forced on his face and was dragged into the water.
”No no no no no! Caleb!” Kat screamed as she scrambled after the kidnappers, but could only watch as her best friend was dragged underwater. A still recovering Zig and frantic Bernie burst from the jungle, just barely catching the disappearing dorsal fins of the orcas. Katania sprang to her feet, looking back at the duo in horrified shock.
”WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!” She screeched. “WHAT… WHO WAS THAT?!”
Zig growled and explained to Kat about King Neptune, and how he’s been a thorn in everyone’s side. An egotist who would do anything to get what he wants and get Marina’s hand in marriage. Kat’s eye twitched as her heart clenched, figuring this was what happened to Gladius too.
She started to hyperventilate as Sharko exploded on the water and belly flopped onto the beach just before the island trio, making them look over at him. He stood up and looked around frantically, looking defeated when he saw no Caleb in sight. He deflated, then snarled, making to run back into the water. But he suddenly paused, and looked back at the trio. Gears turned behind his eyes, and he faced Zig and Bernie, mumbling directions at them.
The hyena and mollusk nodded and started to bring Kat back to the hut as the shark headed back into the water. When they made it to the hut, Katania was left in silent confusion as Zig reached into a chest and pulled out two snorkel sets, passing one to the girl as he put one on.
”What the heck are we doing?” She asked. Bernie squeaked out a response. “We’re going to Sharko and Marina’s place?” She was silent for a moment, then put the snorkel on with a deadly glare. “No stuck-up king is going to kidnap Caleb and Gladdy and get away with it…”
Zig flashed a thumbs up and ran out of the hut and towards the water, with Bernie and Katania right behind. They all dove in, and the general’s daughter was shocked at how light and not wet she felt. Looking at Zig, he gestured to her to follow, and the trio swam to meet up with the others.
With Caleb, he could barely register what was happening as he was thrown into a cell, his back slamming painfully against the metal wall. He then slowly floated down to the bottom of the cell, blinking a bit deliriously. He shook his head and opened his eyes fully, seeing King Neptune beyond the bars of one of the windows. The Merman was waving the still trapped Gladius in front of him in a taunting fashion, which only boiled Caleb’s blood.
”You give him back now!” The boy roared, lunging forward despite his injury and trying to grab his friend. But it was futile as the merman just pulled the blade back and laughed, making the boy deflate. As Neptune swam away, the two orcas acted as guard for the sole prisoner. Caleb felt tears pool in his eyes as he sank back down to the floor, and curled up in a miserable ball, hoping for things to get better.
~X~
Kat entered Marina and Sharko’s home with Zig, pulling off the snorkel while taking a deep breath. “Huh, fresh air…” She mumbled to herself. She watched as Zig did the same and ran into the house more, Bernie right on his tail. The mollusk gestured for her to follow, and the girl didn’t hesitate as she ran after them, heading up the main stairs and into what seemed to be a living room.
Inside the room was a storming Marina, who was pacing back and forth in front of the massive window with a dark look on her face, ranting on endlessly about King Neptune and how she should sick her dad on him. Sharko was watching her on the couch with an equally dark look, his arms crossed. When the trio came in, he looked over and smiled only the slightest bit.
Zig sat on a chair while Katania and Bernie sat next to Sharko, their appearances making Marina calm down a bit. She faced the girl, and frowned a bit as she saw the distraught expression, but then nodded in determination and glared out the window.
Katania took a deep breath, and looked up at the mermaid. “So what’s the plan on getting Caleb back?”
Marina shared a grin with Sharko, and went on about Zig and Bernie heading around the side of the palace to disarm Neptune so he wouldn’t have his trident, herself would act as distraction, and Katania and Sharko would be the frontal assault when things all fell into place. Sharko laughed evilly at the prospect of being able to crush the bratty king’s head in again.
Zig let out a devious laugh, mentioning how if he got the trident after all of this was said and done, he and Bernie could make a second one and give it to Sharko. The mermaid smiled a bit, looking out the window with a light glare towards what seemed to be the distant form of Neptune’s castle. It was grand and shrouded in the fog of the water, making it seem more imposing than it honestly was. Because based on how Marina and Sharko were describing him…
Neptune seemed like a wimp.
So Kat glared down at the floor, the hyena and shark swapping ideas to hopefully get Neptune off their back permanently. Kat pursed her lips and stood up, walking over to the mermaid and standing beside her.
There was a moment of silence before the general’s daughter spoke. “You know… After we save Caleb and Gladius… you guys can come with us.” Marina looked down at the girl in slight surprise. “When Caleb and Gladdy did their first big adventure, they brought along a lot of new people who really helped him in the end. So it’d just be wrong to not include you guys in that.”
Marina looked upwards thoughtfully, then beamed and nodded. Then she leaned down and whispered in Kat’s ear, which made the girl perk up and subtly glance back at the shark and hyena.
”That’ll be fun…” Kat whispered. She then shook her head and faced them fully. “Alright! We have my friends to save, so let’s get going! The sooner we save him, the better!
The group all nodded and left the house, with The two land breathers putting their snorkels back on before heading out. Kat rode on Sharko’s back as Zig hung onto the tail of his frenemy. Bernie and Marina were at the front of the group side-by-side.
As they neared the palace, they all ducked behind a coral covered rock and peered around, seeing the many structures on the underside of the cliff Neptune’s castle rested on. Marina ducked back down and whispered to Kaqt about how Caleb would be in one of those lower cells. The girl’s eyes sparkled and she silently gestured, the rest of the group nodding in affirmation.
Carefully, they all snuck up towards the palace, making sure to avoid the two guards at the front doors, and swam to the cells underneath. They all then split up and started looking into the cells to try and find Caleb, peering into the barred windows. As Kat swam around and looked, she eventually found her captured friend. Swimming down to the window closer to his face, she tapped the bars carefully and smiled as he looked over. The boy’s eyes lit up and he scrambled over, Kat gaining a look of sadness as she saw him limp over.
When she nodded, she looked around and started waving Sharko over. The deep sea predator swam over and peered into the window, smiled, then gestured for the boy to hand on. Caleb nodded and braced as the shark swam up and cut the cell so it started to sink down. Caleb let go and let the cell fall without him, and as soon as he was in open water Katania bulldozed him into a tight hug. They stayed like that for a while before Marina suddenly appeared, took both their hands, and swiftly led them behind another cell. Sharko followed after them, and they were swiftly joined by Zig and Bernie.
The group all looked carefully around the cell to see a killer whale come down, only to go into a panic when he saw Caleb’s cell all the way on the sea floor below. He was about to swim back up and alert King Neptune, only for Sharko to swiftly swim over and squish him into a disc, then tossing him into Caleb’s cell and forcing it back into place.
The group all made motions of relief before Caleb gestured in a way to refer to Gladius. Marina nodded and led the group back over to their rock, just so they could formulate things better now with the plus one.
When they were far enough away and hidden, Caleb got the silent rundown on how they were going to free the sword. As he listened, Kat kept careful watch towards the castle. None of the other guards seemed to be any the wiser towards what just happened.
Katania took a deep breath through her snorkel, and watched as the rest of the group swam ahead. Marina and Caleb looked back at her, and she quickly caught up. As they approached the castle, Zig and Bernie broke away to do their part of the plan, the recently rescued boy following shortly after. Kat smiled and waited with Sharko behind a rock closer towards the entrance of the castle. Marina gained a fake smile as she stopped just before the two guards, who took a moment before letting her in.
With Zig, Bernie and Caleb, they slipped in through an open window that let them recoup right behind Neptune’s throne. There was fresh air and no water, giving Caleb a chance to take off the snorkel and take a deep but quiet breath through his nose. When he was adjusted, he peered around the corner with his two friends. The king’s court was lively with activity, the king himself seemingly holding some sort of ceremony for him getting Gladius nabbed.
Said sword was in the king’s grasp, still binded.
”Okay, so how do we do this?” Caleb whispered. “Because I’m not seeing the trident anywhere…”
Zig pondered for a minute, looking around, before carefully pointing. The other two looked over, and winced seeing how the trident was just barely poking out of the king’s back pocket. Bernie started to think about what they could do just as Marina made her way past the crowd. Neptune’s eyes bugged out comically and he dashed over, posing in a way to seduce the mermaid.
Marina just gave him a strained smile, looking at Gladius for a moment before nodding at the king. He smiled back and took her hand, starting to dance with her as most of the other ceremony goers watched on in shock. Caleb could see Marina was not happy, but was using this as a way to discreetly get the king closer to where Bernie could grab the trident.
Again and again, though, the mollusk would miss his chance, which just made things more tense. But because Caleb and Zig were only focused on Bernie’s mission, they failed to catch a party goer spotting them and swiftly going and telling the nearest guard. Caleb looked over and his eyes bugged out when he saw one of the orcas look over and glare.
”Zig, we need to move-” Caleb was cut off as he was backing up, turning around slowly to see another orca glaring down at them. Caleb and Zig shared a terrified look, only to go into a frenzy as the two orcas jumped them. None of the party goers seemed to mind until the brawl got onto the main dance floor, Marina and Neptune looking over in shock.
Outside, Sharko saw things go south, so he grabbed Kat and rushed towards the front door. He punched the two guards at the door out, and then kicked the door open. Everyone looked over, with Neptune instantly registering what was happening. He glared at the mermaid, then pulled her into a tight one-armed hug as he barked at his army to apprehend the party crashers.
Orcas came out of nowhere, and while they were no match for Sharko, the others were all trying to avoid getting caught, and free Gladius and Marina. Kat dodged under a thrown orca who crashed into the buffet table, which kicked the party goers into a frenzy. Neptune was trying to reign things back in, but soon caught sight of Caleb. With hatred, he shot out a blast from his trident, his aim bumped lower when Marina wiggled around, which meant the blast grazed Galen’s injury.
He cried out in pain, falling to the ground to clutch the now burnt bandage. Kat gasped, then looked at Neptune. Then he looked at her and they locked eyes… Katania only saw red. She stormed over to the king, nostril flaring up. The king just laughed and aimed his trident again…
Only for Kat to rip the thing out of his grasp and completely destroy it, she snapped it in half and then started stomping on it, bringing the whole palace to a silent stand still. Everyone watched as the girl defied the king, then glared at him.
”You really think you can get away with that?” She snarled. “My mom taught me some hand-to-hand combat. You REALLY want to kick this hornet’s nest?”
Neptune just Started laughing, making Marina growl and Gladius to try and wiggle into his freedom. Kat just gave the king a flat look, then shut up his laughing by clawing her fingers into his nostrils, and pulling him down. Marina and Gladius were released from his hold, and everyone watched in silent shock and terror as Kat fully showed why she’s the general’s daughter. Caleb smiled and started cheering her on as she absolutely pulverized the king.
Marina was able to get Zig and Caleb away from the orcas, and they joined up with Sharko and Bernie to watch the show. Neptune cried in pain as Katania acted more viciously than Sharko ever did, but after a moment the shark grinned and threw the orca he was holding out a window before swimming over and joining in.
The guests at the party were too shocked to even do anything, and the orcas were too terrified. After what felt like forever, Sharko grabbed a table cloth and tied it between the two pillars. He pulled it back, and the general’s daughter planted the injured Neptune right in the centre. The two of them then slowly worked together to pull him back more and more, with the rest of their friends joining in. They all pulled the cloth back so much they had walked out the door. Caleb aimed the king at the window, and at once the group all let go.
The cloth whipped forward, and the king was sent screaming out the window, out of the ocean and over the horizon. There was a moment of silence as Sharko broke the bindings Galdius was trapped in, with the blade moving around freely as soon as he was free.
”FINALLY!” He cheered, breaking the silence. “I was worried I’d be that egomaniac’s trophy for the rest of my days.”
”Yeah…” Caleb said, energy draining now that all his adrenaline was exhausted. “Okay, now that we’re done here… can we go back to the island?”
The others all nodded, and the group all left the ransacked castle. But before they fully left, Sharko barked out an order for everyone to get out. As they all filled out, the rest of the group all watched him with confusion. When the castle was empty, Sharko reared back a fist and delivered a powerful punch on the castle wall. A punch so strong it turned the whole building into rubble. The group all cheered the shark, and all started to head back to the island. Caleb, Katania and Zig all rode on Sharko’s back, the boy in particular relaxing against his friend’s side.
Kat smiled lightly, a very faint blush forming on her face as the water rushed past. Things were starting to look up.
~X~
As the sun started to set over the island, Caleb, Kat and Gladius were just finishing up with getting cleaned up. After all that happened, they needed a refresh. Bernie had fixed up the bandage, and thus Caleb was back to 75% function.
As the Capital trio got ready to finally bid farewell to the island, the quartet who live in this zany world came up to them.
”Well, guys, this was awesome”, Caleb said happily as he looked at the group, leaning on his crutch. “Honestly, despite the whole King Neptune thing, I had fun!”
”Yeah, I can’t thank you enough guys”, Katania said gratefully.
Marina smiled and knelt down, hugging Kat tightly.
Gladius nodded and shook Sharko, Zig and Bernie’s hands. “I will make sure that you are rewarded for this. I just need to figure out what…”
”Well…” Caleb spoke up, looking off to the side thoughtfully. “Maybe we could use some extra hands on our journey because of my leg…”
Zig perked up, while Gladius looked over at the boy. “Caleb… I don’t think that’s-”
”Good idea, I know. Gladdy, seriously, we have no clue what we could get caught up in this time around. And without the others, I would be dead and you’d be forever lost in the multiverse for… forever! So, c’mon…”
Gladius floated around in uncertainty as Caleb gave him a tired and pleading look, Katania walked up to him. “It’s for the best, Gladdy. Plus, it’s only fair because they helped us. And I promised Marina.” The girl and sword looked over at the mermaid, who sheepishly smiled and waved.
After a moment, the blade let out a sigh. “Fine, they can tag along.” He floated back towards the boy, who smiled in victory. “And I know for a fact they aren’t going to be the only ones…”
”You know me too well, Gladdy”, the boy said with a cheeky smile. The sword huffed out a laugh, and the duo began to get ready for the portal opening. Kat was pumping up the others, who started to get into the idea of taking a trip to who knows where. Bernie was in his shell, doing a double check with the essential supplies he always had on him. When he was done, he popped out and flashed Caleb a thumbs up.
Smiling and nodding, Caleb used one hand to swing Gladius towards the ocean, which opened a portal shortly after. The quartet stared at it in shock as Katania walked up next to her friends.
The boy looked back, offering them a smile. “It’s kinda like swimming, so I’m gonna need your help with this Sharko.”
The shark blinked then grinned, walking over and picking the boy up carefully. He stepped into the portal, with the others not far behind. When they were all through, the portal closed behind them, leaving the calm ocean waters and warm tropical breeze. However, elsewhere, it wasn’t anywhere near warm and calm…
As back at the Capital, overcast skies had begun to give the city and its denizens a light shower. And all of it was centralized at the castle. In her room with her brothers and husband, Rainbow was pacing back and forth, face hollow and worry seeming from every feature. They had been unsuccessful to locate Caleb, Katania and Gladius so far, and it was starting to weigh on her. The nasty Deja Vu she was getting just made her worse, and if it wasn’t thanks to her loved ones she would’ve brought down a whole storm.
For the other residents of the castle, things weren’t much better. Steve walked through the silent halls, looking into rooms he could. Anyone he saw was dour, expression melancholy as they all were missing a piece of their hectic but loving family.
The crafter sighed sadly and passed by Zomboss’ room, hearing the zombie scientist and Doctor’s angry mumbling as they desperately tried to locate their missing friends. They were at it for a while, and Steve was worried they’d collapse from exhaustion.
As he passed by the shockingly empty Rec Room, he paused and glanced in. No one was in there, with everyone either too focused on the search. Except the Pokemon. They had all holed up in Caleb’s room with Maple, Z-Tron and Purdy to keep each other company, sans Tornadus who was out in the weather to keep it from becoming a hurricane.
With another sad sigh, the builder walked over to the door that headed towards the balcony and took out an umbrella, deciding to take a rainy walk in the courtyard. This was a sad time, but he knew they’d pick up eventually. Caleb and the others would find their way home…
No matter how long it took.
~X~
Okay, wow. Almost took a month to release this. Sorry about that. Things just kinda got away from me, with life, seasonal depression and all that really bringing me down. Like the fact I’m no-binary now and also go by Kat alongside Caleb.
But another big thing did hit me… I got a boyfriend! Ashytrashy17 is the greatest person in my life right now, and I want y’all to go and give him some love. He’s kept me going after all this time, and I can’t thank him enough! So check out his stories, they are great!
Anyway, about this chapter… The Zig & Sharko arc is done! Had some shenanigans with King Neptune, but I felt like he was handled well. It was fun using such a silly and kinda one-off(ish) character in this fic. And it was nice to put the smug butt in his place (not a vent sort of thing, just did always find his episodes the funniest because it’s since seeing snobby asses get hit with karma).
And we’ve got the island quartet of Zig, Sharko, Marina and Bernie tagging along now! Having four silent characters who only vocalize with grunts and gestures is a great way to spice things up, and their personalities add a lot. So hopefully y’all are excited to see more of them!
So yeah, I’ve finally released this blasted chapter after too long, so I hope this was worth the wait. Until next time, my friends!
Up next: The gang finds themselves on a desolate world where endless highways stretch on for as far as the eye can see. Unfortunately, this means they’re prime targets for the local thugs…
~Caleb/Kat~
Chapter 15: Ignition Key
Summary:
Now joined by the tropical island quartet, the group finds themselves on a barren planet of red sand and endless highways that stretch on forever. As they explore, they come across two strange cars that have too them than meets the eye...
Chapter Text
The trip through the portal this time around was probably the most… unique, to say the least. Thanks to Sharko, they weren’t all going tumbling, especially since it looked like the shark and mermaid were basically fully in their element. Zig was struggling with the force of everything, while Caleb simply leaned against Sharko’s dorsal fin with a bored loom on his face. He peeked over his shoulder, and smiled lightly as Katania and Gladius talked quietly with Bernie.
The boy sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back as he let his thoughts wander elsewhere. He knew they’d get home soon, but as things were he wasn’t sure when. Things were so uncertain, that he wasn’t sure if they’d get back in a decent time. He was hoping for at most a month, but with how inconsistent the worlds were, he was sure they’d be stuck in one for about two weeks. Maybe three if they were really unlucky.
As Caleb started to somewhat drift off, Katania glanced at him discreetly before looking back at Gladius and Bernie. “So, you sure you can tell how close we are to the Capital, Gladdy?” She asked in an uncertain tone.
”I can, yes”, the sword said with a nod. “Thanks to the constant travel, I’m able to sense the centre of everything better. It helps that as a precaution, I left, as you would say, a piece of my essence in Caleb’s room. That way, if something like this were to happen, I had a natural GPS signal to get us back as quickly as possible.”
Bernie let out a curious squeak, his eyes looking a bit uncertain.
“I say we are… four worlds away till we make it back…” The sword’s jewel shimmered a bit as he paused. “It’s not exact, but I know we won’t be at this for long. We’ll most likely be back after a few more days, maybe a little over a week at most.”
”That’s good”, Katania said with a relieved sigh. “Because after hearing your guys’ last adventure, I don’t want to be stuck in a world as long as you guys were with Star and Marco’s. Over two weeks like that is… Too long to not make progress.”
”I agree, but that was mostly because of Galacta anyway…” The blade shook his jewel. “But that’s in the past. If we stay centred in the portals, then we should be fine.” He was cut off when Zig spun past, looking horrified as he tried to gain control. With a sigh, Bernie reached over and pulled the hyena over, setting him down firmly on a vacant spot on Sharko’s back. The shark let out a low growl at the added weight, but didn’t do much else.
Marina was doing flips around her boyfriend, laughing like crazy as she did several tricks in a row. Caleb peeked an eye open to watch, and smiled as she did a triple axel. The boy chuckled, then relaxed, only to startle a bit when the mermaid landed next to him. Blinking, he looked at her and saw her light smile.
”Sorry, just didn’t think you'd get tired of flying around”, he said as he regained his bearings.
Marina shrugged, mumbling something. She then turned around so she could lay on her stomach and pet Sharko on the head.
”Yeah, it is all a bit much… But you get used to it.” Caleb relaxed a bit, closing his eyes again. Marina smiled lightly, before looking down at his injury. The mermaid frowned, her mind wandering back to how Neptune just made it worse. If that snobbish royal punk ever showed up again, she’d have her dad completely lay him out.
She was knocked out of her thoughts when Sharko grunted, and she looked ahead to see a blinding white light approaching. Gladius just happened to look ahead at that point as well, and hummed.
”Everyone brace yourselves”, he called out. “Portal exits with us are extremely inconsistent and tend to lead to-” He was cut off when the portal spat them out in mid air. “Disaster.”
The group all screamed in terror as they fell through the air, tumbling down. Gladius worked quickly to grab Caleb with his telekinesis, who was grabbed onto by Kat and Zig. Sharko fell down like a rock, but was able to land with at least some sort of stability. He caught Marina and Bernie with ease, sighing in relief as he saw the others slowly come down.
When they were set on the sandy turf, Caleb sighed in relief. “And this is one reason I hate stuff like this…” He blinked and started to look around, taking in the sight of the little canyon they were in. It was just rust-coloured sand and rust coloured rocks. “So, we are… on Mars?”
”If we were, we’d be suffocating and dead”, Kat said flatly. “Unless he’s doing something”, she jabbed a thumb at the blade. “Otherwise… Maybe this is a special Mars?”
Zig walked off as Caleb looked down thoughtfully. “That’s not surprising. Some worlds tend to say ‘Screw you, physics!’”
Marina knelt down and gazed at the ground, ruffling the dirt. As it kicked up a cloud of dust, she flew back and started hacking, waving it away. Sharko quietly chuckled, only to shut up with a terrified look when Marina snapped a glare in his direction. But things calmed back down as Zig jumped around at the top of one of one of the small canyon’s walls. The group all shared looks, and started to head up towards him.
Gladius helped Caleb up as the others scaled the surprisingly easy to scale cliffside on their own. Sharko obviously helped the others reach ledges that were out of reach, but soon they reached the top. Looking out over the horizon, the group were all surprised to see endless highways snaking and looping around all over.
Some were on the ground, others were held up by massive concrete supports, but it all looked almost dream-like.
”I swear I’ve seen a place like this before”, Katania said. “Like some in one ear, out the other kind of thought or dream.”
”Endless roads as far as the eye can see…” Gladius hummed out in disbelief. “I have never seen infrastructure this… centralised…” He looked down at Caleb. “Do you know where we are, Caleb?”
The boy shrugged. “No clue. A location like this is pretty common in fiction, so it’s honestly hard to say where we are exactly.” He looked around, only spying a few high plateaus and strange structures in the distance. “And there’s no landmarks… so I’m at a complete loss.”
Bernie squeaked and pointed down at the road, gesturing at how it was styled.
”It honestly doesn’t have any sort of recognisable style or design. So until we find someone, we’re kinda stuck.” He leaned on his crutch, looking up at the orange sky with a melancholy look. “So I guess the best bet we got is just walking and seeing what we find.”
Sharko grunted, looked over the horizon, then nodded. He picked up the boy and placed him on top of his head, and the group all headed down the sloped side of the hill they were on, and reached the base of the slope. They were right beside a road, so after Zig did a quick game of Eenie-Meenie-Miney-Mo, they headed left.
The walk was fairly quiet and calm, with only the occasional sound of distant race car engines revving. Caleb hummed as he looked ahead, seeing the road they walked beside stretch on forever. But his thoughts were cut off when the sounds of a car were approaching them from behind. The group all turned around, and watched as a purple monster truck with red wheels raced passed at blinding speeds. It kicked up a bunch of dust, making the group shield their eyes and cough.
Gladius and Zig ran a bit after the truck, waving their wing/fist in anger.
Caleb cleaned the dust from his glasses and looked at the leaving truck with shock. “That… That was Dirt Boss…” He said.
”You know who that is?” Kat asked as Sharko and Marina looked up at him.
”Yeah… He’s a Transformer… and if he’s here, that means we’re on the Velocitron.”
The shark grunted while the mermaid looked interested. The general’s daughter looked thoughtful. “I know a bit about Transformers… So I guess it’s good?”
”These guys never really saw humans. Or… anything from Earth, for that matter. So I honestly don’t know…”
”That’s not too reassuring…” Gladius said in worry. “We should avoid the roads at all costs then, in case we become a target…”
”Uhhhhhhh… Guys?” Kat said in slight panic. The group looked at her, and she pointed the direction Dirt Boss came from. Looking down the road, they saw two vehicles booking right at them. And they clearly had the intent of targeting them.
”GET OUT OF THE WAY GUYS!” Caleb screamed. The group all scrambled back up the hill, just narrowly avoiding the two vehicles. They both were very contrasting, and the fact they turned around didn’t help.
One was a red bike with red wheels and green headlights, topped with a golden trim. The other vehicle was a green car with three large, blue wheels, a plane cockpit of some kind, and two massive jet engines in the back.
”Aww, c’mon there’s no need to be scared!” The bike said in a mock safe voice. “Me and CZ don’t want to hurt ya’. We just want to give ya’ a classic Velocitron welcome!” Both vehicles started to do donuts at the base of the hill.
”Yeah! We just want to see what you newbies have to offer!” The green car said.
”No thank you!” Caleb said fearfully. “We’d rather not get run over, if that’s not so bad!”
”Nah, we wouldn’t run ya’ over!” The bike said, stopping so he was facing the group. “We just want to chat!”
Sharko growled and jumped down, unknowingly taking Caleb down with him. The boy ducked behind the shark as the green car, unsurprisingly, drove right at him. But the shark didn’t even flinch as he grabbed the car’s front wheel, bringing him to a dead stop.
”Uhhhhhhh… Can I try that again?” The car asked, only to stop his engine when the shark shook his head. Then, with little effort, Sharko threw the car across the road so it landed upside.
”Woah, okay!” The bike said in shock. “I didn’t think we’d be playing like that!” He drove a distance away and turned around, and drove back up firing some blasts. Sharko acted fast by throwing Caleb back to the top of the hill, comically slipping through the laser and then decking the bike between the headlights when he was in range.
The bike fell on his side and groaned in pain. “Oooohhhhhhh… that’ll leave a mark…”
Sharko huffed out steam from his nose proudly, grinning and laughing in triumph. The others all slid back down the slope and looked at both the vehicles, who were groaning in pain.
”Are you two… okay?” Kat asked carefully.
”Give us a… minute…” The bike said. He and the car suddenly shifted so they were robots that towered over the group, especially the car. Both of them were still obviously their respective vehicles, but it was still strange to see. “Okay… okay… You got us…”
Caleb tilted his head, taking in the two robots. “You both definitely are all bark, no bite… for the most part.”
”Yeah, well we didn’t think he was as strong as Dirt Boss”, the bigger bot said a bit dejectedly as he pointed at Sharko.
The shark laughed as Caleb walked ahead. “Well… It is nice to talk to you without you trying to kill us. I’m Caleb, and these are my friends. We’re travellers.”
”I’m Ransack”, the bike bot said. He then gestured towards the bigger robot. “And that’s Crumplezone. We’re pretty well known on Velocitron.”
”Based on that behaviour, I’m not surprised…” Katania said as she and Zig shared a cringe.
”Hey, that’s a title we’re proud of!” Crumplezone spat out angrily. “So if you don’t trash it, we won’t trash your dumb haircut!”
”EXCUSE ME?!” The general’s daughter roared. She glared at the robots before looking at her best friend. “Can we turn them into scrap already? I’m kinda done with their… them-ness, already.”
Ransack and Cumplezone flinched as Sharko grinned and pounded his fists together and Bernie pulled out some tools, but Caleb holding up an arm made them stop. “No. Look, let me handle this.”
He limped up to the bots and gave them a stern look. “Look, we’ve never been here before. And you two have lived all your lives. If we don’t trash you, will you help us out and be our guides?”
Ransack discreetly glanced back at the others, and winced at the glares they all shot him. “Y-Yeah, sure, no problem! We’ll help ya’ any way we can!” He laughed nervously, then blinked. “Soooooo… should we get going?”
Caleb looked back at the others, then back at the robots with a genuine smile. “Yeah. Let’s get going.”
~X~
Ransack and Crumplezone raced down the highway at high speeds, but still at speeds that were comfortable for their new passengers. Sharko and Marina rode on Ransack while the others were all in the surprisingly spacious cockpit of Crumplezone,
Caleb leaned back in the seat as the Transformer took a turn well. “So, I wanted to ask… what do you two do here?”
”Race and… uhhhhh…” Crumplezone paused for a moment. “Race and mess with people. And cheat at races.”
”Crumplezone!” Ransack scolded. “We don’t cheat, we more… make things interesting. Plus, I don’t see any rules anywhere, so what’s there to follow?”
”They have a point…” Gladius mumbled. Kat swatted at the sword and huffed.
”So that’s all you do? Race?”
”Well it’s not like there’s anything else to do here”, CZ said. “We can get turned up, maybe charge up a bit… But it is mainly races here.”
”What’s nice is there are a good variety of tracks”, the bike said. “There’s turns, loops, ramps, tunnels… anything you can imagine! Sure, not much for off-worlders, but it’s home to us.”
”Have you guys really thought about going anywhere else in the universe?” Katania asked in a gentle tone.
”Of course! Just never knew where to go”, Crumplezone answered.
Caleb hummed in understanding and looked out the cockpit window at the passing scenery. “Where are you two taking us any way?”
”Our place!” Ransack replied. “If you guys are here for a while, you need a place to relax. So why not open our door?”
”That’s awfully kind of you two despite… previous situations…” Gladius said in an uncertain tone.
”Awww, don’t mention it!” CZ said happily. “Ransack says it best: Never judge a book by its cover!”
”Sure…” Caleb said with a tense smile and clenched teeth. The group fell into silence for a moment before CZ spoke up again.
”So we told you about here”, he said. “What’s your guys’ deal?”
”Well…” Caleb glanced at Gladius, and the sword just shrugged. “We’re travellers from other worlds. Me, Katania and Gladius are trying to get back, and Zig, Sharko, Marina and Bernie are along for the ride.”
”That sounds fun”, Ransack said. “How do you guys get around?”
”Portals”, Gladius said. “It’s too complicated to get into.”
”Eh, I’ll take your word for it.” The bike and rocket car turned off the main road and pulled up towards a decent but also kinda shabby garage. “And we are here!”
The group all climbed out/off the Transformers and started to look around the space as the two robots transformed into their bipedal forms. Crumplezone headed inside as Ransack did a scan of the area, seemingly looking for something.
”Everything okay, Ransack?” Kat asked as she walked over.
”Just trying to make sure no one was here”, the robot responded. “Because of how famous we are, people like to leave… gifts…”
”AKA, you made enough people mad that you have them showing up and making a mess of the place.”
Ransack was silent for a moment before sighing dramatically. “Yeah… It’s not great, but at least Override tells them to back off, even if we cause trouble.”
After Gladius helped Caleb onto one the garage’s workbenches, he gave the bike a curious look. “How come?”
Zig let out gibberish adding to the question. Much to Caleb, Kat and Gladius’ surprise, Ransack and Crumplezone understood him.
”Override is the leader of Velocitron”, the bike Transformer explained. “And she always wants a fair race. So she doesn’t want anyone messing with other garages.”
”Not like it stops people messing with ours”, CZ mumbled as he pulled out a few tools. “So me and Ransack are always trying to be in peak shape.”
”Right you are, buddy!” The bike walked inside and took out one of the tools, starting to mess around with his wrist. “And with Dirt Boss dominating off-road and Override so fast no one can match up, we need to do what we can to win.”
Bernie hopped onto the workbench and watched the robots work on themselves. Crumplezone looked down at the mollusk and turned away a bit while Ransack scowled. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” The robots were shocked when Bernie pulled out a camera out of nowhere and did just that.
CZ looked at Caleb with a look that screamed ‘What the’. It made the boy snort and start to laugh like crazy, which spread to Zig, Kat and Marina. Gladius sighed good naturedly, while the others were all just confused by the turn of events.
After things calmed down, Bernie did a quick check-up on Caleb’s injury before heading off to do his own thing. Katania jumped up next to him, and shot him a reassuring smile. The boy just silently shrugged, and the two young adults looked out the front door. Ransack walked up to them and leaned on the bench so he was behind them.
”You punks are weird”, the robot said. “I’ve never even thought anyone could just show up here.”
”We’re a bit of a weird group”, Caleb said with a half-smile and shrug. “Heck, you guys would love to meet others. Especially Barranco and Dave, they’re right up your manic speeds.”
”That’d be nice…” The biker looked up at the night Velocitron sky. “I’ll be honest, but me and CZ have been getting antsy. We do want to see what else is out there, so you guys showing up is perfect.”
”Well, maybe you can tag along, who knows”, Caleb said with a full smile. “We’ll have to upgrade our place, though. You two are definitely a bit big for what we’re used to.”
”I’ll be looking forward to it.” He walked off to find Crumplezone, leaving the two Capital kids on their own.
”So you actually want them to join?” Katania asked.
Caleb shrugged. “Maybe. I wouldn’t mind, because having more fire power would be good. Plus, they’d make travel through the portals a lot easier.”
”Fair…”
They both fell into silence again and watched as Zig struggled to set up some tents that Bernie had packed up. The sight did make Caleb smirk, but as he looked up to the star-filled sky his smile fell into a look of homesickness. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, wishing that the rest of his family was okay.
Which they both were and weren’t.
Spamley looked up as the bell at his pawns shop’s front ringed, and smiled as Ralph walked inside.
”Ralph! How is it?” The pop-up said.
The wrecker sighed, slumped over as he walked behind the counter, pulling up a chair, and sitting down heavily in it. “Bad. The others are still missing, Rainbow is still an emotional mess, and everything has basically halted.”
Spamley glanced out the front windows to the light drizzle outside. “Yeah, I can see that second part…” he sighed. “I’m really sorry about the kids, too, Ralph. But I’m positive they’ll make it back soon and in one piece.”
”Thanks, Spam…” The wrecker shot his partner a grateful smile. Gord came over with a cup of coffee, and Ralph took it while saying a quiet thank you. Taking a sip of his drink, the wrecker looked at his partner with a gentle look. It was still weird that he had found love in this guy, who actually reciprocated. Even if this wasn’t supposed to be, he was happy.
Ralph's mind was taken off his partner as a customer walked in and started to scour the shelves. The wrecker stood up and went to the back room, always up to help Spamley organize any of his excess stuff. As he looked over the shelves, his phone buzzed.
Picking up the call, he held it to his ear. “Hey, what’s going on, Scrapy?”
“Fine…” The clawed animatronic said with a sigh. “I’m just calling because you vanished and the others were worried.”
”I just went to Spamley’s to hang out with him and take my mind off things.”
”That’s a good idea, because Rainbow is going on a bit of a warpath. Not towards us, but everyone is staying out of her way. Me and Bon are going to head to the theatre to get away from the noise. If you want, you and Spamley can tag along. Merida and Izzy are coming.”
“I’ll see what Spam says. Keep ya’ posted.”
”Okay. Good luck, Ralph.” The call ended just after, with the wrecker wondering why it was so short. But he just shrugged and went back to his task at hand. Things were slow, but he knew things would get back to normal soon.
”Be safe, kids…”
~X~
And that’s chapter 15 done! Yes, we are now with Transformers in this story! I will warn that this arc won’t be as long as the others, maxing out at two chapters. It’s because Velocitron is such a barren place that I need to focus on characters more, which can only go so far when four of the nine characters are non-verbal. So yeah, won’t be as long.
But regardless, this was fun! Simple but sweet! I’m definitely excited to get Ransack and Crumplezone for future chapters. Actual powerhouses.
Hope this shorter chapter sufficed!
Up next: As they see the group interact and hear what they say more, Ransack and Crumplezone worry for the future and their place in a ‘war’ they’re forced into…
~Caleb/Kat~
Chapter 16: Cybernetic Heart
Summary:
With little to do, Caleb simply sparks up conversation with the two Transformers to hopefully save them from a potential ugly fate…
Chapter Text
Velocitron was usually never really a planet to fell silent, but as the night trucked on Caleb and his group slept peacefully. Maria and SHarko claimed one tent as the others all claimed the other, sleeping soundly as their fire was nothing but a charred pile of ash. From the nearby open garage door, Ransack leaned against the frame and looked out to the tents.
”So what do you think, CZ?” The motorbike started. “Do we leave ‘em here and let ‘em be, or do we take them out on a drive in the morning?”
”I don’t know, Ransack…” Crumplezone answered. “What happens if Dirt Boss or Override see them?”
”Our place is out of the way”, Ransack gave his friend a dismissive hand wave.
”No, if we take them with us for a drive. There hasn’t ever been any off-worlders here, so who knows what will happen?”
The motorbike transformer fell silent as he thought over what his partner in crime had said. “You’ve got a point…”
As the two robots quietly discussed, Caleb carefully crawled out of His tent, stretching as he tried to stand. It was still difficult, but he was gaining his strength back slowly. He winced as he put pressure on it, but after a bit the pain flattered just enough so he wasn’t suffering. He still did carefully pull his crutch out and lean on it, using it as support as he made his way towards the garage.
When he entered, he looked between the two robots, who had yet to notice him, and started to climb on top of the workbench. When he was situated, he simply watched them talk with an innocent look.
“I’m just saying maybe we should take ‘em somewhere with no roads”, Crumplezone said. “That way they won’t be spotted until they leave.”
”True… Until you realise roads are everywhere, Wide Load!” The motorbike barked in frustration. “How can we seriously hide them like that? C’mon, use your noggin’, there has to be a way for us to keep ‘em hidden.”
”You can come with us”, Caleb said nonchalantly with a shrug.
Both robots cried out in terror and comically leapt a few feet in the air, before turning into statues as they stared at the boy. “Kid, hey”, Ransack said as he shook off his fright. “I didn’t think you’d be up so soon… How’d ya’ sleep?”
”Fine, it was just too crowded in the tent.” Caleb gave them an understanding look. “Worried this place’s other hotshots will turn us into road kill if they see us?”
”Kinda, yeah…” CZ said as he walked over and sat down on the bench next to the boy. “Velocitron is pretty isolated. And it’s not that big of a planet, so everyone pretty much knows each other. Well… at least all the big guys.”
”And those would be…?”
”Dirt Boss and Override”, Ransack explained. “Dirt Boss is the only one that can really be compared to Override, but he’s also a lughead. And the big O is our leader. She keeps everything under control, and hosts the races around here. But otherwise, it’s kinda ‘you’re on your own’ and nothing else.”
”Well, obviously not fully”, Caleb said with a smile, gesturing between the two robots. “You two have each other!”
”Yeah, even if Ransack can twist my joints sometimes…” CZ grumbled as he stood up and walked off elsewhere, leveling a glare at his partner.
”Oh says you!” The bike spat back. “You’re the reason we kept getting trampled by Dirt Boss’ rushes!”
”That was only because you thought blasting him was a good idea! You scuffed his paint!”
Caleb silently watched as the two robots started arguing back and forth, which made an idea slowly bubble in his head. “How long have you two been here?” He asked.
The two Transformers quieted down and looked at him. “Honestly, no idea”, Ransack said. “We’ve just been here. No way to tell the time, so we just… exist…” He started to quiet down a bit. “Honestly, it kinda makes things seem a bit sad.”
”Sure, seeing other planets would be cool”, Crumplezone added, “But we’re fine here on Velocitron, even if the racing can be a bit boring sometimes.”
”Well… why don’t you two come with us?” Caleb asked with a light smile.
Both robots froze, and slowly looked over at him with stiff movements. “You… You’d let us tag along with you guys?” Crumplezone asked.
”Sure! We could always use some more help getting me, Kat and Gladdy home. Plus, you two clearly need a break from this place’s endless roads and red sand, so it’s a win-win!”
The robots shared a look between each other, obviously contemplating what the boy had just offered. “If we do say yes… what would happen?” Ransack asked.
”We’ll, you’d get your own rooms in my castle home… have a whole city of shops and activities to explore… can ask for modifications from some of my more science-y friends… and so much more!”
Ransack hummed in thought, while Crumplezone looked more interested. “Really? All of that if we tag along with you?”
Caleb nodded with a smile. “Yep! And the best part? You guys won’t ever be belittled by us and such. Sure, there will be some playful jabs here and there, but nothing completely malicious. Also… no Dirt Boss or Override…”
That made Ransack perk up, and both him and Crumplezone shared a more excited look. The bike and tri-wheeled car ran up before the boy with gleaming looks.
”And you really mean that?” Ransack asked. “No one else from here to kill our fun?”
”Yep!”
”Then we’re in! Ain’t gonna pass up an opportunity like this, are we CZ?”
Crumplezone nodded. “You betcha’, Ran! This’ll be our big break for us, being able to come back here better than ever!”
Caleb chuckled a bit, but then his smile fell. “That’s great, guys… But it’s also because I’m worried for you two…”
The two of them looked at Caleb in confusion. “Worried?” Crumplezone asked. “Why?”
”It’s complicated, but I do know your guys’ future a bit. And sometime in the future, a very awful person will end up finding you guys and manipulating you two into basically being his henchmen…”
The two Velocitron punks shared a look. “I’m assuming whatever happens… He’s really strong?” Ransack asked.
”Think ‘Sometimes he’s almost the main follower of Unicron’ kind of strong…”
”Okay, yikes… Thanks for the heads up kid.”
”It’s just… he constantly takes advantage of you, to the point you actually die CZ!”
”What?!” The larger robot flinched back, looking distressed.
”And he wants to let the whole universe be destroyed by a massive black hole, just so he can truly best his enemy. It’s rough…”
Ransack blinked, then casually looked out towards the outside lot. “Jeez, kid… You're really trying to save our hides, huh?”
”Of course I am! You two…” He stopped, then looked down. “I’ll tell you two at some other point. Just know I have a reason to save you guys like this, but it isn’t selfish or anything.”
”I’ll take your word for it, kid”, the bike said. “So far, nothing really tips me off. But also… Maybe I’m just bored and kept you around for a change of pace.”
CZ nodded, then transformed into his vehicle form. “Hey, kid, you want to take a ride? Just so you aren’t cooped up here all day.”
”That’d be nice, yes please CZ!” The boy jumped down, stumbled a bit on his only good foot, then climbed inside the car’s rocket car cockpit after the bot opened the hatch.
”Make sure no one sees him, CZ!” Ransack said sternly.
”You got it, buddy!” The vehicle’s cockpit closed, and he was off, kicking up a dust cloud as he went. Ransack quietly laughed and shook his head, before looking out towards the little camp that was set up on his property. With a hum, he walked over as Zig and Kat left their tent, ready to talk more with the girl and sword to learn all he could.
~X~
Caleb cheered as Crumplezone took a corner at full speed, drifting with such power sparks were flying. When he stabilized, CZ let out a laugh.
”And that’s how we drift on Velocitron, kid!” The vehicle said with a booming tone of joy.
”That was awesome!” Caleb cheered. “Usually, I hate fast rides like this. But, I don’t know, you just seem more secure. Maybe it’s because you’re a sentient car, and not something like a roller coaster cart or something.”
”Don’t know what that is”, Crumplezone responded. “But I am glad you feel safe, kid. I’d actually hate for you to get hurt, since I want your first time here to be, you know, good.”
”All good, CZ. I get it, me and the others are so foreign to what you’re used to, that you want to keep it safe.”
”Hey, even though me and Ransack like to cause trouble just because we can, doesn’t mean we don’t have hearts. We have our limits too. Plus, Sharko is scary, and I’d rather not make him mad.”
”Yeah, Sharko can get brutal when he’s mad… He’s strong enough to lift a whole island.”
”Exactly, so me and Ran are just not wanting to mess with you guys. Helps us all in the end.”
”Yeah, I don’t blame you…” The boy let out an airy laugh, before falling silent. The two of them remained silent as they hit a straight road that went on for miles. After a while, CZ let out a breath
”So, what is your story, kid?” The transformer asked carefully. “Because a group like you guys winding up on this planet and living? Because I can tell you guys should be… dead.”
”That must be thanks to Gladius”, Caleb explained. “He’s an old, powerful sword who has a lot of magic and stuff in him. But me and him are still trying to figure out all that he can do. So yeah… he must be making it possible for us to breathe. Or it’s something else, I don’t know, every place we’ve gone to works differently…”
”Okay then… I don’t fully get what you meant with that, but alright…” They fell into silence again, but just as Caleb was about to talk again, Crumplezone suddenly hit the brakes. The boy braced himself as CZ’s tires screeched out, smoke billowing out as they scraped against the road. When things came to a stop, Crumplezone slowly started to back up. Looking up, Caleb fell completely silent as he saw some more Transformers just down the road.
”CZ… Is that…?” The boy whispered.
”Override, yeah. Stay quiet…”
Sure enough, the sleek red and white Transformer was the one down the road, talking to some other Velocitron residents at the side of the road. The bespectacled boy ducked down a bit and held his crutch tighter as his friend kept backing away. When he was far enough, CZ kicked his engine into high gear and spun around, driving back the way he came.
”That was too close”, the car said in relief. “Override just always assumes me and Ran are up to something, so if she saw me-” He was cut off when there was the sound of a distant engine gaining. “Kid… is that who I think it is…?”
Caleb looked around, then looked behind. Immediately his heart sank when he saw Override, in her vehicle mode, racing up the road towards them.
”Is she just going to pass on by, or tell you to pull over?!” The boy cried out.
”Not if we take a shortcut… Hold on!” As soon as the boy braced, Crumplezone did a sharp turn, basting through the side wall and landing on a lower highway. Caleb cried out in shock at the sudden and terrifying movement. But when things calmed down, he sighed.
”Can we go back to your place, CZ? I think I’m done with high octane Velocitron action…”
”You got it, kid.” As Crumplezone drove down the road back to the garage, Caleb leaned back in the seat and sighed, feeling where his rapidly beating heart was calming down. Letting out a sigh, he looked up to the burning yellow sky, which helped give Velocitron the almost polluted aesthetic.
He pursed his lips, breathing through his nose. “When we get back, we’re all going to the next world. Because this place is too risky for us.”
”I’m with ya’, kid”, CZ said. “I’m looking forward to seeing other worlds. Maybe find a cute scooter or something.”
The boy just laughed. “Maybe you will!”
The rest of the drive was pretty relaxing, with CZ going a decent speed so it wasn’t too slow or too fast. So it didn’t take long till they made it back. When they did, the tents were packed up and everyone was inside the garage chatting away. As Crumplezone pulled up, Gladius flew over and helped Caleb out and to his feet.
When CZ transformed, Caleb faced the others with a smile. “So, how’s Velocitron been, gang?”
The tropical island quartet gave off so-so hand gestures, while Kat hissed in sympathy. They all looked up at Ransack and Crumplezone, and the two robots shrugged. “We get it, this place is pretty bland”, Ransack said nonchalantly. “But that’s why me and CZ are all the more willing to tag along!”
The others all looked up at him, and smiled. “Awesome”, Caleb continued. “Now, when it comes to portal travel you two… it’s best to be in vehicle mode. Just because it can be a bit… turbulent.”
“You got it”, Crumplezone said with a salute.
Caleb smiled and nodded, then turned to Gladius. “Ready to get a move on, Gladdy?”
”I’m always ready, my boy”, the blade said with a jolly tone. The boy responded with a nod, and grabbed hold of the sword’s handle. After steeling his nerves, Caleb slashed Gladius into the open air, with a portal opening shortly after.
As the swirl of various colours flashed before them, the two Velocitonians transformed into their vehicle modes. Caleb, Kat, Zig and Bernie all climbed aboard Crumplezone, while Marina and Sharko got onto Ransack. The two Transformers let out cheers and laughs as they revved their engines and blasted into the portal. Gladius hummed in concern before flying after them, the portal closing shortly after.
Unbeknownst to the group, however, it was just then when a certain Transformer touched down on Velocitron soil, marking his next step in his master plan…
But that’s a story… for another day…
~X~
And that’s chapter 16 done! Again, I’m really sorry these two chapters were so short. It was just hard to really come up with good ideas for these chapters to make them engaging considering how limited the location is.
Also, I’m so sorry I took so long to get this short ass chapter out. Life just got in the way, and utterly killed my motivation. But I finally finished this chapter, and I’m okay with how it turned out.
As for the little ending stinger at the end there, hinting at Megatron, DON’T EXPECT A FOLLOW UP. I was just doing that to be silly, but I don’t have any plans to do a full Transformers: Cybertron rewrite focused on Ransack and Crumplezone. That’s a big ask.
But otherwise, I hope y’all enjoyed, and I promise to try and be more on top of things. Love you all!
Oh, btw, I’m going exclusively by Kathryn (Kat for short) now, with She/They pronouns. Please respect them, otherwise I will not hesitate to block you.
Up next: The group, now joined by the two Transformers, find themselves in a galaxy of limitless possibilities, especially when they crash into the base of the galaxy’s protector’s…
~Kat~
Chapter 17: Your Galactic Girl
Summary:
The group, now joined by the two Velocitron punks, end up crashing right into a space station that operates the justice of the galaxy. And the lead figure in that is a girl from Earth who Caleb recognizes all too well…
Chapter Text
As soon as the group entered the portal, it was already chaos. Ransack and Crumplezone were horribly caught off guard when their tires touch down on an ethereal road, making them slip and drift around. Everyone else was screaming and crying in terror as they flew around, especially the shark and mermaid as they did their best to hang on to the motorbike’s handlebars.
Gladius was flying around frantically, trying and failing to use his telekinesis to help the Transformers. It wasn’t working, especially since this strange ghostly road was just so unfamiliar to everyone.
”KID, WHAT’S UP WITH THIS ROAD?!” Ransack cried out.
”I DON’T KNOW!” Caleb cried back, bracing as he and the others inside of the CZ were tossed around like laundry in a washer. “THIS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE!” There was a very scary drift. “GLADIUS DO SOMETHING!”
”I’m trying!” The sword barked. He tried again to stabilize the robots, but when that again did nothing, he threw his wings up and lifted them off the ethereal road. As soon as they were airborne, they stopped, and everyone relaxed.
”Thank you… Gladius…” Caleb droned out as everyone in the cockpit collapsed.
Crumplezone whined. “This is so humiliating… But thanks.”
”No problem”, the sword responded with a nod. “But I have to ask… Why did you two start going out of control?”
”Well, all of these lights and noises threw us off”, Ransack said. “But you and Kat told me that there weren’t any roads here! So me and CZ… Yeah, we got tripped up. It didn’t help that this weird road was so slippery!”
”You guys live on a desert planet, or one with a bunch of rocks and not much else”, Katania said as she started to calm down. “So it makes sense you guys never had to deal with icy or wet roads.”
”Is it safe to say I’m not looking forward to the crazy driving conditions?” Crumplezone said.
”Trust me, you haven’t seen Canada during the winter…” Caleb droned out as he rolled his eyes, adjusting himself in the seat. “Those roads can get really bad sometimes. So much ice…”
”I’ll be sure to remember that.” Ransack revved his tires a bit. “You can put us down now, Gladius. Me and CZ will take this easy.”
”Alright…” The sword gently put the two Transformers down, and they started to head down the ghost road with no loss of traction. Gladius flew between them, and all the other passengers relaxed into their spots. Caleb smiled and leaned back looking out the glass dome to all the passing images on the tunnel walls.
His mind started to wander as he saw scenes play back on the fragments, moments from across history. Movies, TV Shows, Video Games… it was all there. As Caleb remained distracted, Zig looked towards Katania and gestured in worry.
“Caleb’s fine”, she whispered. “He’s been through a lot, but right now we all just want to get back to the castle. He’ll tell you guys the full story when he’s ready.”
”I promise.” The girl and hyena jumped and looked at the boy in shock, who was shooting them an accusatory glare at them. But his smile did lighten the mood, all while Bernie giggled from the boy’s lap.
Katania blushed and looked away. “Zig was just asking… Because we could see… a bit of the scars…” She said that last bit quietly, and Caleb’s smile fell as he felt the back of his shirt. It was stretched a bit, and he could feel a bit of his top most back scar.
With a sigh, he pulled his shirt back up. “Kat’s right, guys, I’ll tell you later. Like when we get back to the Capital.”
”If you say so kid”, Crumplezone said. “But if we ever run into the punk that did that to you, then we’ll tear them apart.”
”You got that right, CZ!” Ransack cheered, with Sharko and Marina nodding with determined looks.
Caleb smiled weakly. “Thanks guys… But I don’t think we ever will…”
KataNia looked up and shared a sombre look with Gladius, who was flying above.
After that little exchange, things fell into as peaceful of a silence that was possible. Everyone just relaxed as Ransack and Crumplezone continued down the tunnel, their tires gaining more traction as they went along the mysterious ethereal road.
Occasionally the others would spark up conversation, but it didn’t last long as the road hit some… bumps, somehow. Ransack and Crumplezone slowed down a bit as they did so, the bumps making everyone raise a few eyebrows.
”Should this road be bumpy, Gladius?” Caleb asked, looking up at the blade in worry.
”N-No… I don’t think so-” The sword stopped when there was a deep boom from behind the group, making everyone who could turn around.
”What was that?!” Ransack cried out. “Is it that scary guy you warned us about?!”
”Worst! It’s a wave!” Gladius screamed. “The two of you, full throttle!” He flew down and forced himself inside of CZ’s cockpit. The two Transformers didn’t ask twice as they went to max speed, rushing down the road. Sharko looked behind them, and let out a very high-pitched scream when he saw the walls of the portal rippling right at them.
”Just keep driving!” Caleb cried out.
”We’re almost there!” Katania shouted, pointing to the approaching white light at the end.
Marina cried out, latching onto Sharko with a death grip, Ransack and Crumplezone slammed on their gas, Zig was tackled by Bernie, and Caleb and Kat hugged each other close. They closed their eyes as they passed through, opened them for a second, and started screaming when they saw the two Transformers were shooting through space right towards a pristine white space station.
”I HATE THIS!!!” Crumplezone cried out as they crashed into the station. Thankfully, they crashed into what looked to be a hangar, so there was minimal damage to the station itself.
All the parked space ships in said hangar? Not so much…
Especially since all the passengers were thrown off/out of the Transformers, making more of a mess. Thankfully, the less durable members of the group were protected by Sharko, who used himself as a crash mat to break all their falls.
Caleb groaned and rolled off the shark, blinking his eyes and shaking his head. Sitting on the cold metal floor, he tried to stop the dizziness with little success.
After a moment, the others all slowly started to get back on their feet. Ransack and Crumplezone transformed back into their towering robot forms, CZ falling on his back with a deafening thud.
”Jeez, CZ, if no one knew we were here before, they do now!” Ransack scolded. He stood up and looked around, wincing at the three trashed ships they ploughed through. “Oooooookay…… Hope they aren’t too mad their rides are scrap…”
Caleb finally got back on his feet, quickly grabbing his crutch off the ground and using it as support. “Hopefully…” He trailed off as he looked at the ships, seeing how some of them were a design he recognised. “Wait… I think I’ve seen some of these ships before…”
He made his way over towards one of the less damaged ships, and caught sight of a logo on it. An atom above a crescent… And immediately it clicked.
”CRAP!!!”
Before anyone could ask what was wrong, several uniformed aliens of multiple different races surrounded the group, posed and ready for attack. The group all huddled together as Crumplezone and Ransack, the two robots looking ready to trash them all.
”Admiral DeGill”, one of the uniformed rangers said into an earpiece. “We found the breach in the hanger. Several suspicious individuals, including two robots, a mermaid, hyena, shark, and two humans!”
”Humans?!” A voice shouted through the communicator, making all the odd uniformed people flinch. There was a door opening, and a goldfish dressed in a military uniform came over. He was smoking a pipe (well, considering the bubbles coming out of it smoking was a stretch), and leveled the group with a scrutinizing look.
”How did all of you get in here?” The fish asked. “Galactic Guardian Headquarters has a shield, and top notch security system.”
Caleb swallowed nervously, so Katania took over speaking. “We’re just travellers! The three for us”, she gestured to herself and her two fellow Capital residents, “Accidently found ourselves away from home, and we’re trying to get back.”
”And the others?” The fish asked.
”Company from our travels”, Gladius said, making all the ‘Galactic Guardians’ jump and get a bit more defensive. “We mean no harm, if that’s what you’re worried about. I promise you we are not hostile.”
The fish hummed and blew some more bubbles out of his pipe. “I see. Well, until we can fully trust you, you are all to remain here under strict security. You won’t have access everywhere, due to safety concerns. And since one of you seems injured…” He gave Caleb a quick apologetic look. “You’ll have access to the medical ward. escort them out of here, maintenance will need to clean up…”
As the Galactic Guardians started to file everyone out of the room, two of them stopped the Transformers from following. Caleb gave them a sympathetic look as the door closed and they were led down a hallway. As they walked, Gladius hovered closer towards the fish.
”If I may ask, what is this whole operation?” The sword asked with a curious tone.
”We are the Galactic Guardians”, the fish explained. “We keep order and peace across the galaxy from the various criminals that call it home. I’m Admiral DeGill, current head of the operation.”
”So… Like superheroes?” Katania asked.
”Kind of, yes. There’s not many of us, but we still leave our mark.” DeGill led the group into a room, and smiled at them all. “This will be your main arrangements for the time being. Until a more reasonable solution is figured out.” He left with the other Galactic Guardians in tow, the group remaining silent until the door shut.
”So what are we going to do now, Caleb?” Katania asked. “It’s not like we can stay here and open our next portal out. With all the cameras and guardians and DeGill’s own suspicions, we won’t get a moment of peace.”
”We’ll figure something out”, Caleb reassured. “Especially since I know someone here will help us out…”
~X~
An hour since arriving at Galactic Guardian HQ, Caleb, Kat, Gladius and Marina were exploring the areas they could. Alongside the guardians, there were security droids around every corner, making the quartet wonder how ‘highly secured’ this station was.
Marina paused at one point to look out a window to look out towards space and the planets in the system. It was a beautiful view, with the planets splashed with various colours and patterns. It was very art-deco.
It just so happened this spot also overlooked the main docking pad, and the group watched as a ship that looked like some from the hangar came down. It was white with red accents, and some sort of antenna thing at the nose of it. The group watched as it landed, and from underneath three people walked out.
One was a hovering yellow robot with an antenna on top of its head, and vibrant blue eyes. Second was a green alien in a red and white suit, with a tuft of sky blue hair and a massive green nose. Lastly was who seemed to be human, a girl with vibrant red hair styled in a massive ponytail and pink Galactic Guardian suit.
”Do you know who that is, Caleb?” Katania asked. It was clear to the others that Caleb did know where they were, he just hadn’t said anything yet.
”That’s the Galactic Guardian’s best team. Atomic Betty, and her partners Sparky and X-5”, the boy explained. He then lowered his voice. “Probably the only ones that actually do their job…”
Marina pursed her lips, and Gladius snorted. “Considering how good security is here, I’m not that surprised to hear that.” He then looked out the window and watched as the trio on the landing platform headed inside the station proper. “But I’m wondering why they’re here… For a super tech focused world, you’d think DeGill would brief them on their mission on their ship.”
”I mean… we’re here”, Caleb said. “So it makes sense.”
Marina said how he must’ve told them, and they’re here to maybe talk with us. The others all nodded with uncertain looks, worried this wasn’t going to be a nice talk. But Caleb did seem hopeful that the three Galactic Guardians wouldn’t be super harsh on them. So the quartet started to head towards whatever room the landing pad connected to. It was a bit difficult, as the station didn’t have any obvious maps around, but soon they found their way into a fairly big central room. There were a few other guardians walking around, plenty of security droids, and an elevator that the group assumed went up to DeGill’s office.
There were a few tables with open seating around, and since they couldn’t see Betty or her partners, they decided to just sit down and relax. So they took the nearest table and just sat down, looking around at all the surroundings. Marina was somewhat interested in a nearby flower bush, but she was thrown off when the face of Sparky suddenly filled her vision.
She screamed and flew backwards off her seat, making her other table mates look at Sparky with wide eyes.
”Huh, you guys don’t look like how Admiral DeGill told us…” He said, pulling out a popcorn bucket out of nowhere and started eating the gross slugs inside like they were nothing.
Kat suddenly looked pale, so Caleb cleared his throat. “We kinda… crashed here. Not really something we meant to have happen. Although we do crash a lot…”
”Sparky’s not trying to chew you out”, a female voice added. “Admiral DeGill was just worried you all were up to something.” The group looked over and watched as Atomic Betty herself walked over with X-5 by her side, the girl smiling brightly. “But just based on how you guys look… I can’t say you guys are villains.“
”We most certainly are not”, Gladius said with dignity. “We have many heroic deeds under our belt, and plenty of our friends would defend us if they were here.”
As Gladius spoke, X-5 hovered around the group, seemingly analysing them. After a moment, he moved a bit back. “Yes, I cannot seem to find anything directly nefarious about you. But only time will tell if that will change.”
”That’s reassuring…” Caleb said as he shared a nervous look with Katania, before he shook his head and faced them with a smile. “Well, uh, I know about you three! Atomic Betty, Sparky, and X-5! Heroes of the galaxy who’ve bested villains like Maximus IQ on the regular!”
”Ah, so you’re a fan!” Sparky said with a smile. He then slid up next to Marina. “And I will say I’m not complaining.” The mermaid scowled and walloped the pilot with a devastating punch, making the others all wince as he was sent flying. When Sparky crashed into a nearby trash can, Marina scoffed and crossed her arms, looking away indignantly.
”Yeah, Marina’s taken…” Caleb explained as X-5 went to fish his partner out. “I’m Caleb by the way. And this is Katania and Gladius.” He gestured to his two other friends, then smiled at Betty.
The Galactic Guardian smiled a bit tensely as she looked back. “Well, it is nice to meet you. Just uhhhh… Don’t hurt Sparky too badly. He’s a good guy, trust me.”
”So far, he’s not looking good…” Katania droned out with a flat look. “If my mom knew he was some protector and doing that, she’d have him do some pretty… rough exercises.”
”You’re mom’s a…” Betty began, trailing off instantly.
”General. She’s the general of the place that me, Caleb and Gladdy live in. My dad is one of the highest ranking soldiers, and Caleb’s personal bodyguard.”
”Wow, huh… Didn’t think you guys had that sort of reach.” Betty looked at Caleb curiously. “So, if that’s the case… How are you here?”
”Gladius can open portals when I swing him around”, Caleb explained. “After we watched a movie with my whole family, we accidently opened one. And that’s how me, Kat and Gladdy got lost. An… incident during the portal trip… hurt my leg. It’s getting better, but not 100% yet.”
”A portal explains how they slipped past the shield…” X-5 whispered as he and a somewhat disheveled Sparky sat next to their friend. Betty shushed the robot and gave Caleb an apologetic look.
”I’m so sorry to hear that, Caleb”, she said. “Just know that as a Galactic Guardian, it’s our duty to help anyone in need!”
”We really appreciate that, Betty, thanks…” Caleb’s slight smile fell as he looked out the nearest window towards the vast expanse of space. “I will say though… I’m not looking forward to staying here. Not the kind of place I’m excited for.”
”If you guys can open portals, why not just open one now?” Sparky asked.
”There needs to be a break period”, Gladius explained, half-lying. “If we open portals too rapidly, there’s more likelihood it’ll be unstable and crush us as we pass through.”
”Then perhaps we can help you find a more comfortable place to stay”, X-5 offered. “Admiral DeGill gave us orders to keep watch of you, so if you need to find somewhere else, we can take you.”
“That’ll honestly be a lot better, thank you”, Gladius said. Marina cheered and zipped over, bringing the trio of guardians into a tight hug. They were all horribly caught off guard for a moment, looking down at Caleb for help. He just smiled and shrugged, enjoying the view.
Betty sighed and wiggled her way out and dusted herself off. “I guess if we’re going to take you guys somewhere more comfortable, we should meet all of you. I know there’s a shark, hyena and… I think someone said hermit crab? And there’s the two robots that we know are also around…”
Marina nodded just as Caleb opened his mouth to speak, and let out a very loud whistle. There was silence for only a moment before Sharko blasted through a nearby door. As soon as he locked eyes with Marina, he dashed over. Zig and Bernie were right behind, the hyena tripping right at the end and sliding on the floor till he was right before Caleb. He gave a thumbs up, making Bernie sigh.
Caleb giggled and gestured to them. “This is Sharko, Zig and Bernie. They can be a bit intense”, that made the mermaid hunter and protector glare at him, “but they’re really strong, cunning and protective. And Bernie here”, the mollusk climbed up onto the boy’s shoulder, “is a genius when it comes to inventing. You two could team up sometime, X-5!”
The robot hummed in thought as the mollusk jumped over on top of his head, making the bot simply blink.
Marina explained to Zig and Sharko about what was going on, and they both nodded, running off to go and let the Transformers know. Behind them, the others followed, partaking in more conversation as they walked.
”So you have a pretty big family then, huh?” Betty said to Caleb, responding to what he said as they left the room.
”Yep! They all mean a lot to me, and helped me through some pretty… rough times. So getting back to them is really important to me.”
The Galactic Guardian nodded, and frowned a bit as her eyes wandered to Caleb crutch and injured leg. “I’m sure you’ll find them soon, Caleb.”
”Thanks, Betty.”
~X~
After introductions with Ransack and Crumplezone were over with, the whole group were walking across the extended bridge back to the landing pad, where Betty’s ship, the Starcruiser, was still parked. Ransack and Crumplezone were sharing little facts about themselves to an interested X-5, and Sparky was sharing some of his snacks with Zig and Bernie (the two island residents actually enjoying them).
Caleb and Betty were at the front of the pack, the girl smiling brightly as they talked.
”You’re Canadian too?!” She said happily.
”Yep! Born in BC and lived there for… most of my life, eh!” Caleb said with a goofy smile.
”Wow, I didn’t think-”, the Guardian cut herself off. “How did you even find Gladius, though?”
Caleb’s smile fell, and he sighed. “That’s a very long story. I don’t know I’d have time to tell it all.”
”I see…” There was a brief lull in the conversation. “Well, since you’re Canadian too… I could have you guys come and live with me in Moose Jaw Heights. I love my mom and dad, but… They aren’t the most observant. So I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
”I am just about 19, so maybe I can pass as an exchange student, I don’t know…”
”We’ll figure it out.” She started to climb up the ramp that headed inside the ship, with Caleb and the others all right behind. Except for the Transformers, who decided to ride on the ship while standing on the side wings.
Inside the ship, the fairly plain yellow metal made it feel a bit more cozy than Guardian HQ, but not by much. Heading to the front, Caleb and the others watched as Sparky and X-5 got in the front most seats, and Betty hopped onto the raised chair that was against the back wall.
”A lot of interesting tech here…” Gladius said with intrigue as he looked over the front console. “Must be hard to repair.”
”Nah, I’m an expert with this stuff!” Sparky said in a bit of a boastful tone. “I know every little thing about this ship.”
”And yet you still need me in case the hyperdrive or weapons systems are offline”, X-5 said. Sparky glared at him, making Gladius groan.
”It’s just like Flowey and Majima with the others…”
Betty gave Caleb a questioning look about the names, and he shrugged. “Just some of my family. Love them both, but they can be really annoying sometimes.”
”Sounds wonderful…” The captain cleared her throat, making both her partners look up at her. “Alright! We’re heading back to Moose Jaw Heights, so let’s not dilly dally!”
”Right on, Captain!” Sparky said, with X-5 silently nodding. They both faced the console and turned the ship on, with the green alien lifting it off and shooting it through the stars.
Marina, who was on top of Sharko, was looking out the window in wonder and awe, her eyes literally sparkling as they passed by celestial bodies of all kinds. Caleb was also watching the stars and planets shoot past, smiling lightly as Gladius and Katania leaned against either side of him.
Betty looked down at them and smiled lightly, but knew she would have to ask for the whole story at some point. But for now, she’ll just be a good friend and help these new faces.
It wasn’t long till the ship entered Earth’s atmosphere, and they started to descend to an isolated spot a distance away from Moose Jaw. Caleb looked out the window, and could make out the middle school, mall, fair, and even Betty’s house. Of course, he didn’t say anything out loud, but was a bit relieved regardless.
When the ship landed in a clearing in the forest, the group all started to file out. Except Sparky and X-5, who had to go run other errands. So they bid farewell and took the ship off again, leaving everyone else in the forest.
”We aren’t that far from my house”, Betty said as she adjusted her shirt. She had switched out of her Galactic Guardian uniform for a yellowed collared shirt, green skirt with matching headband, and tennis shoes with white socks. “C’mon.”
”Hang on”, Caleb started. He turned around to his other friends. “You guys should put on some disguises. This place isn’t aware of anything Betty does. Or aliens in general, so put something on so no one panics.”
Zig shot him a thumbs up and pulled out a pretty bulky disguise kit, and in a flash he dressed himself, Bernie, Sharko and Marina in more appropriate attire. While Zig, Sharko and Marina looked. As much like humans as they could, Bernie was disguised like a dog. Gladius decided to play along, sheathing himself and placing himself on Caleb’s back.
”Well, looks like we’re gonna be stuck in vehicle mode for a while, CZ”, Ransack told his partner. “Hopefully you oiled your joints!”
”Eh’, this’ll be a good way to catch some sleep I missed.” Crumplezone transformed into his car form, shortly followed by Ransack. Sharko and Marina hopped onto the bike, and Zig jumped into CZ’s cockpit. “We’ll see if there’s a place we can park at or something.”
”There’s a motel not far from the mall”, Betty explained. “So just get some rooms there.”
”Got it. See ya’ later, kid!” Ransack burned some rubber on the grass and pulled a wheelie as he raced ahead, Crumplezone shortly behind him. The others all waved them goodbye, and when they were alone, Betty returned to leading them towards her place.
When they left the forest, Caleb stopped and took a deep breath. “I missed Canada so much. Even though it isn’t BC, Saskatchewan is still kinda home.”
Betty looked at him as they walked. “You grew up in BC? Maybe we can find your home if you go looking.”
Kat and Gladius shared a nervous look, but Caleb just sighed. “My home situation is more complicated than that, Betty. Trust me, I’ll tell you when the time is right.”
The girl pursed her lips, but relented. “Alright… But I’ll want you to tell me sometime.”
”I promise I will. Just… It’s a lot.”
”I get it, I’m sorry for pushing. I’m just worried, you know I care a lot to make sure everyone is safe.”
”We’re the same way, Betty”, Katania mentioned. “We just want to see our family and friends smile and laugh. So yeah, you don’t need to apologise.”
Betty smiled and nodded, before looking to her right. “Ah, here’s my home!” She walked up to the front door and opened it, leading the others inside. ”Mom, dad, I’m home!” There was some shuffling, but only a cat came from around the corner.
”Cute cat”, Katania said with a flat look. “But he looks spoiled.”
”That’s Purrsy, my mom’s cat”, Betty explained. “He… Yeah, he’s spoiled. Really likes to push me around too.”
”Makes me miss my kitten…” Caleb said sadly. “You’d love Purdy. She’s a bit… absent minded, but she’s a sweet and lazy kitten. Plus, adorable.”
”I’ll have to see it to believe it, I never had much luck with cats.” She led the group on a tour of the house, and thankfully there was a guest room that was up for use. As the tour took the group to the backyard, Caleb looked up at the sky.
”Betty, can I talk to you about something?” The boy asked.
The Galactic Guardian looked up at him. “Yeah, what is it?”
”If you could… Would you, Sparky and X-5 like to tag along with us? Having more hands on deck to help would be nice. Plus, I feel like you guys could use a change of scenery.”
Betty blinked, glanced back at Bernie and Katania (who both shrugged), then looked up to the sky. “Maybe… I love my job, because it just isn’t me to just abandon people in need. So I’ll need to think about it. And talk it over with Sparky and X-5.”
“Alright. And you don’t need to come up with some sort of answer right away, if you’re worried about that.”
”I’ll keep that in mind.” Betty smiled up at him, the. They both returned to gazing up at the sky, watching the clouds pass by for a bit longer before Betty led the group back inside. Purrsy eyed them with a glare, but Bernie just stared back, freaking the cat out and scaring him off.
The Galactic Guardian led them out of her house, and out front she was giving them directions to the motel. “I’m sorry I have to kick you guys out like this, I just would like you to meet my mom and dad when they are here.”
”Nah, it’s all good Betty!” Kat said with a smile and hand wave. “We get it. It’d be weird for your parents to get home and see you with a bunch of strangers. So we’ll head to the motel and meet up tomorrow. And I want to let you know that we will always help if there’s a mission or something.”
”We’ve faced all manner of situations”, Caleb added with a smile. “From giant monsters, to kidnapping, to universe ending threats. We’ll back you and your team up, Betty.”
”Thanks. I’ll let you guys know if there’s ever something that needs doing.” She flashed them a smile. “Well, see you guys tomorrow! I gotta do some cleaning…”
”Good luck, Betty!” The group all waved her goodbye, and headed down the road towards where she said the motel was. Caleb took a deep breath and smiled, looking up at the sky as the ever so slightest hints of a sunset started to form. Kat took his hand, and the two of them shared a smile.
~X~
By the time they made it to the motel, it was already night. Caleb was lazing in bed, still and silent as Gladius, Zig, Bernie and Sharko slept in the same room. Marina and Kat had taken the next room over, and the two Transformers were in the parking lot, off in a corner to stay as far away from prying eyes as possible.
As he laid there, he let his somewhat storming thoughts just bounce around. There wasn’t anything bad, just a collection of clouded thoughts that made it hard to sleep.
Rolling over a bit, he frowned as he thought about home. About everyone who was definitely worried sick.
And that was an understatement.
Back at the Capital, Maria was looking up at the night sky with a sombre expression. The mood was full and the stars twinkled, but she was not doing good. It had been almost a week since Caleb, Katania and Gladius went missing, and with no sign of even finding a shred of where they could be, morale and passion in the castle started to really dip.
While Virus and some of the others were still working tirelessly to find them, Maria was one of them who had to have constant mental reprieves to just not break down completely.
With a sigh, she took a sip of the tea she had on hand and leaned a bit forward, letting the cold nighttime air wash over her.
”I had a feeling you’d be out here…” Maria looked behind her to see her husband walk onto the balcony, a melancholy look on his face. He pulled a chair over and sat down next to her. “Still can’t sleep?”
”I’m just worried, mi amor…” Maria began. “I know he’s done this before, and he has Gladius and Katania… I just can’t help but worry… This place is so empty without him here…”
”I know, mi amor. But he’s strong, so I know we’ll see him soon.”
Maria nodded slowly, leaning against her husband as clouds started to form above. The couple didn’t mind, but that changed when the door inside slammed open. They both jumped and stood up, looking back at a slightly crazed looking Amy.
”Amy, what’s going on?” Manolo asked.
The redhead was taking rapid breaths, and was looking a little wild. “Get to Virus’ room NOW. He said he’s found something.”
The Sanchez’ shared a look, and abandoned what they were doing to run after Amy. They were so desperate to see what was found that it didn’t take five minutes till Amy and the Sanchez’ were in the room with all the others. The rest of the group all watched them run in as Virus dotted about with the screens.
”So what did Virus find?” Maria asked, looking around a bit wildly.
”We don’t know”, Ralph said, looking no better. “He’s been really quiet about it.”
”I swear, if all this worrying was for nothing…” Flowey mumbled.
”It’s not”, Virus said. “If it was, Rainbow would lose it. But I will say, I found a trace of Caleb’s DNA in a world. A bit of… blood.” That made the group all look a bit panicked. “But, thankfully, I extracted the memories from it. Don’t ask, sometimes our powers and tech even confuse me. But what I was able to see was this…”
The glitchy purple blob turned on the largest screen, and the group all watched as an injured Caleb used Katania for support, a somewhat bloody Gladius following a bit behind, almost in shame.
”What the heck happened?!” Owen cried out.
”No idea”, Virus said with a shake of his head. “But what all of this tells me is that they are okay, and are alive.”
”Where did you find this?” Blossom asked.
”Tropical island from the show Zig & Sharko.”
”Okay… Okay, so they’re alive.” Zomboss said. “Good. Just means we need to strengthen our search efforts.”
“You heard him, gang!” Izzy barked out, standing up on a table. “We need all hands on deck, we’re so close to finding the trio and getting them home!”
”YEAH!” The group all started running around, doing everything they could to help the search. Virus smiled and pulled out his phone, calling up his bedridden wife.
”Hey, honey, great news…”
~X~
And so ends the next major chapter! Yep, we’re heading into the world of Canadian cartoon classic Atomic Betty, a show that is very near and dear to my life. Next to Ruby Gloom, it was probably one of the first shows I’ve watched. It’s crazy to think about how long it’s been…
But yeah, now we’re doing space stuff after the two short chapters on Velocitron. This one I knew was gonna be beefy, so hopefully this suffices. Especially since I’m taking a trip with my family down to Mexico on the 29th. So don’t expect a new chapter till I get back. Unless I bring my iPad with me and work on my stuff while we’re there, lol.
Hope you all liked this chapter! Getting back into the groove of consistent posting, and longer chapters too. So expect this story to grow more!
Up next: Caleb and Co. join the Galactic Guardians on a trio of missions that build up the trust between the friends…
~Kat~
Chapter 18: Call To Action
Summary:
Caleb and the others tag along with Betty and her team as they save the galaxy from a variety of situations, from bioweapon develpmoent to helping an old mentor…
Chapter Text
Caleb was leaning against the porch railing as he looked out over the early morning Moose Jaw. He woke up not too long ago, leaving the others to all rest up so he could just think and hope. His homesickness was starting to bubble up more, and he was longing to just be home and safe and sound. While he was enjoying this trip, he just wanted to be in his own bed, hanging out with his family…
Especially since Merida just proposed to Izzy! The twin fireballs were going to get married in the future, and Caleb would rather spend time planning and partying with them rather than having them worry that he was who knows where, probably in danger. The boy looked up at the clouds hanging above, a frown gracing his features as his mind continued to wander.
Just on the other side of the door, watching from the inside, was Gladius. The sword has been awake for a while, and just silently watched his best friend carefully. He could make out the storm behind Caleb’s eyes, and quietly sighed at the helplessness he felt. He just wished he could take them all back to the Capital, but that wasn’t possible.
Not unless he wanted to have them get stuck in another convergence universe.
He shook his hilt and hovered away from the door, letting his own thoughts dance about as he planned what they could possibly do. It was impossible to tell what they could do, so for now they just had to rest up here in Moose Jaw. Gladius grumbled as he went to start the shower up for Caleb, hoping a warm wash could help him relax. But he stopped when Caleb walked inside suddenly and right through the room, heading right out the front door.
The blade followed him, bolting back a bit when the boy whirled around to face him.
”I’m going over to Betty’s”, Caleb said in a slightly tired tone. “I just need some time away from things. Tell Kat.”
Gladius didn’t even get a chance to speak before the door was closed on his face.
The sword’s wings fell limply to his sides, his heart aching for his friend.
Caleb looked down as he half walked, half limped down the sidewalk to his new friend’s place, hoping she could help clear his clouded mind. He just needed a new voice to clarify things, to help him cheer up. Just something that would not have him spiral.
He sighed and continued walking, a dower look on his face. But his mood was lifted a bit when he sensed a vehicle pull up next to him, and looking over he saw Crumplezone beside him. His cockpit opened, and the disguised shark and mermaid couple climbed out with worried expressions.
”Are you okay, kid?” CZ asked carefully. “You just walked off on Gladius there, and I can tell something is bugging you.”
Caleb sighed and hugged himself. “I just miss home… I miss my room, my family, the castle, the city, everything. I miss it all, and being here is just hard. I love you guys, don’t get me wrong, but I just wish I could be home right now. This trip… It’s the last thing I needed.”
Marina frowned and knelt down, bringing Caleb into a warm hug, then looked over her shoulder at her boyfriend. Sharko nodded and walked to a nearby establishment, disappearing inside the front door. Marina helped Caleb up and led him towards a nearby table, one that was close enough to the pavement so Crumplezone could stay close.
After a while, Sharko came back with a few items of food. It was standard breakfast sandwiches and hashbrowns, so he divided up the food between the three of them. Caleb shot him a weak smile in thanks, and slowly ate his food. Much to his surprise, this was almost a one-to-one Tim Hortons’ breakfast sandwich. Looking at the establishment Sharko came from, sure enough it was a Tim Hortons.
”I guess that’s expected when we’re in Canada…” The boy mumbled to himself. Sharko and Marina gave him a look, and he just shrugged while mouthing a “Later” before he took another bite of his breakfast.
The trio just remained silent as they ate, with CZ idling in a parking spot behind them as his own servos whirred with dozens of potential ideas on what to do. But nothing clicked, so the Transformer relaxed as the others kept eating.
When he was done his sandwich, Caleb moved on to his hashbrown. He munched it slowly, looking out in a random direction. Marina and Sharko shared a slight frown, not sure how they could help their new friend. But they were cut off when Caleb suddenly stood up, a tired look on his face.
”I was gonna head to Betty’s place, see if she needs help with anything”, the boy explained. “If you guys want to come and drop me off, I’d really appreciate that…”
Marina nodded and whistled at Crumplezone, who popped open his cockpit. As the mermaid led the boy over and got him situated, Sharko cleaned up their mess quickly before hopping into the Transformer’s cockpit. When the trio were all comfortable, CZ drove off down the road towards the Barrett residence. The drive itself was quiet, with nothing shared or said. Caleb just looked out at the passing buildings with the same dower look as before, making the others become more worried.
It wasn’t long till they made it to Betty’s house, with the simple home welcoming them. CZ parked a distance down the road so as to not spark suspicions, and sighed as the glass cockpit opened.
”If anything goes wrong kid, just holler”, the Transformer said as the boy climbed out and started walking down the rest of the distance.
”I got it!” He called back, quickening his pace. Marina waved goodbye, but frowned when he didn’t wave back. So, with a determined look, she started to mumble a plan to her boyfriend and the vehicle.
Back with Caleb, he stopped a short bit away from Betty’s home as he watched a woman with a massive blonde pigtail get into a car and drive off. That must be Betty’s mom, Caleb thought to himself as memories flashed in his head. Considering the rest of her family, Caleb was always shocked at how Betty’s mom was nothing like anyone else. She always seemed more like Penelope’s mom, if anything.
Shaking his head, he walked over to the side fence that went into the backyard and opened it, walking in only a step before seeing Betty jump into the flowers after the annoying cat, Purrsy. Watching from afar, he winced as the sounds of a scuffle hit his ears, and he was contemplating leaving before Betty revealed herself again, now holding the cat by the scruff.
The Galactic Guardian was covered in mud, but that didn’t seem to really come to her mind.
”Unless you want a shower”, Betty told the cat as she held up the hose, “I suggest you spit him out. NOW.”
In slight panic, Purrsy spat out a goldfish before being tossed away, the Guardian picking the fish up and placing it in a nearby watering can. When she turned around, she cried out in fear when she spotted Caleb.
The boy was leaning back in fright himself, and for a moment they were both silent. Betty was the first one to break it, after she blinked in surprise.
”Caleb, I didn’t see you there”, she said with a sheepish smile. “How long have you been here?”
”Since you went full panther on Purrsy”, he said with a light smirk. “Not a cat person, huh?”
”Just Purrsy, really. He… He really knows how to push my buttons.”
”I can see that. Eating your fish? That’s a step too far. Now if my kitten Purdy was here, you’d be singing a whole different story.”
”You have a cat?” Betty walked over in curiosity.
Caleb nodded. “She’s the absolute cutest, even if she’s a bit… absent minded, I’ll say. She loves to wander, but also is a very lazy kitten. Here…” He pulled out his phone and showed Betty a picture of the pink fuzzball.
”Awwwwwww!!!” Barrett cooed. “She looks so cute! Kinda wish we had a can like her…” She shot a glare over her shoulder at the retreating form of Purrsy, who simply glared back.
”Maybe you can someday”, Caleb said with a shrug.
Betty smiled, but then gained a curious look again. “Okay, but how come you’re here?”
The boy sighed and leaned against the outside wall of Betty’s house. “I just… I needed to talk to you, just because… I don’t know, I’ve been feeling homesick really bad recently. I know I’m on this big adventure with people I trust, but I would always rather be home…”
The Guardian sighed and nodded, leaning beside him on the same wall. “I understand that. Sometimes I just wish I could stay with Sparky and X-5 being a Galactic Guardian. I love my family, but aside from Noah, this place doesn’t fully feel like home half the time.”
”Exactly…” The two of them were silent for a moment before Betty’s watch started to beep, making the redhead quickly answer.
A hologram projected out, showing a shot of a desk. “Atomic Betty, this is your commander speaking”, the voice of DeGill sounded off.
Betty saluted with a smile. “Atomic Betty reporting for duty, sir!”
The chair behind the desk spun around to reveal the goldfish commander. “I have a mission of the utmost importance. Our sources indicate… Why are you covered in mud?”
Caleb leaned down and smiled. “She was practicing her stealth skills.” Betty blushed, shooting him a light glare.
DeGill blew some bubbles out of his pipe with a thoughtful look. “I see. Very good, and if you are helping her, then that goes a long way to helping the galaxy. Especially since as a Guardian you need to be ready for anything, like a bounty hunter.” The fish fell silent as he looked up, blowing more bubbles, before looking back at the duo.
“Anyway, about the mission…” He glanced at Caleb for a moment before continuing. “Our sources indicate that the supreme overlord, Maximus IQ, has a secret lab on the planet of Narimba Six, and is creating a horrible bio-weapon. Destroy the lab, before Maximus can put that weapon to use.”
”I’ll take care of it right now”, Betty said with a salut, Caleb copying her. “Over and-”
”Wait”, DeGill said, stopping Betty from closing the call. “I want you to take your new friend with you on this mission.” The fish gave the boy a look. “Despite his injury, I feel you’ll need as much help as possible.”
”Right, sir”, the Galactic Guardian said in an unsure tone. She saluted again. “Over and out.” She disconnected the call, and gave Caleb a weird look.
The boy just shrugged. “All I can assume is that he still doesn’t fully trust me, and is hoping this can be a ‘test’ of some kind. But I can pull my own weight, so don’t worry Betty.”
”If you say so…” She trailed off when she saw the state of the backyard, with everything torn up due to her tussle with Purrsy. “I’ve got to save the galaxy and clean up the garden before mom gets back!”
”I’ll help you out”, the boy said with a shocked look on his face.
Betty nodded, then pressed the main button on her watch. She looked up, and Caleb followed her lead as her ship zip above and stopped, beaming the two of them up. As they went up, Betty was changed into her Galactic Guardian uniform, and Caleb was stuck into a purple uniform that fit his proportions. Little did they know they weren’t the only ones who came along…
Upon getting back on his feet, Caleb followed Betty to the bridge, giving Sparky and X-5 a shy wave before the pilot shot the ship off towards their destination. The pilot hit the hyperdrive, and Caleb braced as they blasted away at light speed.
As they traveled, X-5 turned around to look Caleb over. “You should feel proud”, the robot said. “It’s not everyday the admiral lets a civilian join a Galactic Guardian on a mission. In fact, it’s against protocol.”
”Well, I know a thing or two about saving people”, the boy shot back. “I’m more than experienced enough for this.”
”What did you do, exactly?” Betty asked.
”Too much to share now, but maybe another time. Just trust me when I say I know what I’m doing.”
”You just never did it alone.” Gladius said as he suddenly appeared from thin air, directly behind Caleb.
Everyone cried out in terror and looked at the blade, too shocked to really register the disappointed pose he was pulling. Caleb blinked after a moment, then coughed. “Gladius?! How the heck are you here?!”
”You think I’d leave you alone? I swore I would protect you, and I don’t care if you need alone time, I need to be by your side.” He crossed his wings in defiance, almost challenging Caleb.
The boy just blinked and pulled him into a hug. “I’m honestly more glad you’re here…”
Betty hummed. “Nice of you to join us, Gladius.”
”Likewise”, the blade said as he pulled out of the hug and looked out the front. “So we’re going to a planet to stop a supervillain, huh?”
”Yep!” Sparky said, smiling proudly as the ship started to land at their destination. “And we’re here!”
”But is Maximus here?” Betty asked. The group of five all left the bridge of the ship and out into the humid jungle, only to jump again when a loud thump sounded off next to them. Looking beside the ship, they saw Crumplezone (still in vehicle mode) looking a bit deflated as his opened cockpit showed a dizzy Marina and Sharko.
”Are you kidding…” Caleb mumbled in frustration.
”I didn’t know that they were there”, Gladius said defensively. “I saw the ship and bolted over, but I never saw them.”
”Whatever, just make sure they don’t get hurt”, Betty said with a frustrated tone and expression. She started leading the group away from the ship and deeper into the jungle, with Gladius flying over to the other stowaways and helping them recover.
Caleb could only sigh as he followed the Galactic Guardians, already looking forward to when this mission would be over.
~X~
Batty and Caleb led the group through the dense undergrowth, with Crumplezone taking up the back of the pack in his robot mode. Despite what one might think, his abundance of green helped him blend in more than expected, so it was deemed safer to have him walk.
Marina and Sharko were sparking up a silent conversation with X-5, who seemed interested in what they had to tell. Caleb just phased it out, as he didn’t have the energy to focus on that at this moment.
When they reached the end of their clearing, the group all peered from around the plant life, and saw a metal dome not too far away from them.
”This looks like a secret headquarters to me!” Betty said triumphantly.
”But where are the guards?” Sparky asked.
”If a place doesn’t have any visible guards”, Caleb whispered. “Then it probably means Maximus knows we’re coming. So it’s a trap.”
”Then I should go in and tear this place down then, right?” Crumplezone asked. The others all looked up at him with flat looks. “I’m serious! Whoever this Maxymus guy is, he obviously was expecting you three. But not me and Sharko.”
Caleb looked down a bit in thought. “That’s a good point, CZ… Okay, so you and Sharko will sneak around the back, and if things take a turn, then you two can rush in and turn the whole lab into a pile of scrap. It’s better for Maximus to lose any chance he has at trying this again.”
”Alright”, Betty said. ”Sparky, Caleb, Gladius? You three are with me. We’ll see if there are any guards with a combination of stealth, and subterfuge…”
As the group broke apart, X-5 just sighed. “If they would just listen to me…” Marina watched as the robot hovered over to the lab’s front door and knock on it, making the guard on the other side open the slit.
”What do you want?” The guard asked.
”Allow me to make this special, one-of-a-kind introductory offer to…” X-5 opened his chest plate and pulled out some magazines. “Guardian’s Quarterly! The magazine that caters to distinguished sentries, defenders and gatekeepers such as yourself.” Caleb and his little squad poked out from around some of the nearby metal formations and watched this all in confusion. “Complementary issues for anyone who’s interested.”
The guard closed the slit and opened the door, making the others all gasp for a moment, only to watch gobsmacked as three of the guards walked out and took the magazines, looking them over with full interest.
X-5 looked over and motioned for the others to follow, which they did with no sound. Crawling on the ground as the guards kept ogling the outfits in the magazines. When they were all inside, they slipped deeper in, searching for something or someone.
“Any idea where they could be, X-5?” Caleb whispered.The robot pulled out a stick and tapped a nearby door, making Sparky roll his eyes. Gladius glared at the pilot as Betty used her watch to deactivate the door lock, opening it so the group could all peer in and see what they were up against.
It didn’t seem like there were any guards around, only the supposed bio-weapon in a bubble above a pit.
”And what have we got here?” Betty whispered.
”It’s a small, cylinder conglass vessel holding an unknown liquid being held in place by a piece of unidentified metal which appears to be conducting current carry properties…” X-5 rambled off. When the others all made confused sounds, he gave them all a flat look. “A vial being held in place by a magnet.”
“Cap must be metal”, Galdius said. “Because I don’t know a single magnet that can hold glass.”
”So, what’s in the vial, Smarty Pants?” Sparky hissed at the robot.
Caleb poked the pilot in the back. “Be nice.”
“I think we can safely assume that it is some sort of evil, easterly potion…” X-5 said sarcastically.
The group all fell silent and ducked a bit more out of view when a door opposite to them opened, and I walked a tall cat-like alien in a red cloak, followed closely by a strange yellow and black alien with a blue coat.
”It’s been two hours, twelve minutes and 43 seconds”, the cat-like alien said in a somewhat dignified tone. “The cooling process should be complete by now.”
Betty gasped. “Maximus.” Caleb gulped fearfully as the supervillain laughed, using a remote control to grab the vial and pass it to him.
”Yes, yes, yes!” Maximus said triumphantly. “My bio-weapon is finally finished!”
The smaller alien, who’s head spun around to reveal a different face, glared up at him. “Well, it’s about time. “When Maximus snarled at him, the head spun around. “It’s about time someone came up with such a great idea. Ooo, splendid work master.” Gladius mumbled how fast the smaller alien went from evil to pathetic, and how it was kinda embarrassing.
”Come Minimus”, Maximus said as he started to walk elsewhere. “I’m sure you’re eager to see how it works.”
”How thoughtful of Maximus to provide a demonstration”, Betty said, the group all smiling as they watched attentively.
Inside the pit, there was a hunk of rock being held in place by something but that changed when Maximus dropped a single drop of the serum onto the rock, making it suddenly turn into a miniature jungle planet.
”What the…” Caleb said in confusion.
”How’d he do that?” Sparky asked.
Maximus snapped his fingers, revealing a screen that showed his plan in full. “By extracting the chlorophyll from plants, and enhancing them with a molecular growth agent, I have concocted a bio-chemical compound that can choke entire worlds with vegetation!”
Caleb blinked. “That’s… it? Honestly, that’s not super evil… I’m sure there’s a lot of planets that could use the green boost.”
”He has a point”, Sparky whispered.
Betty hummed. “You never know with Maximus, so it’s best we still stop him.”
”Plus”, Gladius added. “Some places might suffer if this thing makes foreign plants grow. Whole ecosystems could fall apart.”
“Precisely”, X-5 finished. So, all with determined looks, the group revealed themselves, making Maximus and Minimus spin around in shock.
”Weeelllll…” Maximus said with an eye roll. “If it isn’t our interfering galaxy guardian Atomic Betty… And I see you brought your two little friends. How quaint.” He then looked at Caleb and Gladius. “And what’s this? Some new annoying guardians to drag you down?”
Caleb growled, only Gladius catching the briefest bit of black and white lighting sparking in his eyes. “Hand over the vial, you cunning criminal!” Betty barked out as she and Sparky glared at the supervillain.
”Oh this?” Maximus held up the vial. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. I have other uses planned for it.” he handed the vial to Minimus, and then snapped his fingers. The door behind the heroes closed, and more hatches in the room opened to reveal red ninjas. “Seize them!”
The ninjas sprung into action, with Betty and Sparky jumping up to start brawling with them. Caleb locked eyes with Minimus, and he glared at the small alien, chasing after him to get the vial. But the boy was stopped when robots with red eyes sprung from nowhere. He cried out as Gladius made quick work, turning the robots into scrap metal.
Caleb, not wanting to be upstaged, grabbed Minimus by the tail and started to swing him around, thankfully catching the vial as it dropped. But when more guards like the one at the entrance showed up, Caleb was caught off guard when Betty threw on right at him.
The vial was sent flying, and the boy watched as Betty raced to catch it before it fell into the pit. He wiggled out from under the guard, watching as Maximus (now wearing a jetpack, and Minimus on said jetpack) snagged it and flew above.
”No!” Caleb cried.
”It’s been a pleasure Atomic Betty”, Maximus said in a taunting fashion. “But I really must be going-” Everything came to a stand still when there was a loud bang, which echoed through the base.
Minimus looked around in worry. “Ummmm… What was that?”
There was another bang. And another. And another. And a few more, till from the ceiling behind Maximus, Crumplezone blasted through with Sharko and Marina on his shoulders. The supervillain and his yes-man were knocked away as the transformer landed and growled at all of the henchmen.
”Alright, I just showed up, but I really want to smash some stuff.” He looked at Caleb. “Kid, sorry, but I just need to do this.” CZ started to glow with a fiery aura, and Caleb instantly went into a panic. “Crumplezone, Cyber Key Power!!!” From the opening in the roof, a disc of light came down and crashed into a slot on his back, which made the two massive arm cannons on his shoulder fold out.
”And we should RUUUUUUUUUNNNNNN!!!!” Caleb screamed as he grabbed Sparky, rushing out of the room as fast as he could. The others all followed after him as Sharko and CZ started to rip everything apart, the Transformer repeatedly firing his massive arm cannons at everything he could. Maximus cried out in terror as he was caught up and thrown around like a ragdoll by the vicious shark, the vial flying out of his hand.
Marina, who was lagging behind the group, quickly caught it before it broke on the ground, and ran out as the whole lab started to collapse. When there was enough damage, CZ and Sharko got out before it all exploded, making everyone wince. They then watched as Maximus and Minimus were sent flying away into the cosmos, the supervillain crying out “Curse you Atomic Betty!” As he vanished from view.
When things calmed down, Sparky cheered. “That was awesome!” He jumped out of Caleb’s grasp and over to Crumplezone. “How did you do that?!”
”What, my Cyber Key power?” Crumplezone responded in surprise. “Everyone on Velocitron can do it, but we all have a different power. Just ask my buddy Ransack.”
”I think we can save that for another day”, Betty said, looking tired. ”I need to get back home, anyway.”
”Right… Your mom’s garden…” Caleb glanced at the vial Maximus made discreetly, and everyone shared a look.
”We’ll cover for you, captain”, Sparky said with a smile as X-5 took out a dropper and filled it with a single drop of the serum. Caleb smiled at Gladius, and all the group headed up and onto the ship. CZ, like last time, climbed onto the side, and when he was situated they were all off.
When they made it back to Earth and Caleb, Gladius and Betty were dropped back off in Barrett’s backyard, the ship took off to a more secluded spot away from Moose Jaw so the others could be dropped off safely. Caleb waved them goodbye as Betty got to work, using the serum to make the garden even bigger and more beautiful than before.
When she took a few steps back to look over the finished product, she smiled at Caleb. “Hey, Caleb? Galdius? Thank you. You aren’t bad Galactic Guardians, even if that mission ended in such a messy way.”
”Yeah, I’ll make sure CZ or Ransack won’t follow us the next time we tag along for a mission.” His smile became a more neutral look. “Only if you want us to, of course…”
Gladius looked between the boy and guardian, and he hovered between them. “Betty, I know we haven’t known each other for long, but trust me when I say we can be a big help. The last time we went on a big adventure with this, we dealt with literal universe ending threats.”
Betty’s eyes widened. “Wait, what?! How?! Admiral DeGill would’ve told us if something…” She trailed off as a look of realization crossed her face, and she looked at the duo. “You guys… aren’t from this universe, were you?”
”No, we aren’t”, Caleb said. “It’s a long story. Like, really long.”
Betty blinked, and then glanced back at the back door to her house. “I’ll… You can tell me later. But know that I do trust you.”
Caleb nodded and grabbed Gladius, heading back through the gate and walking down the sidewalk back towards the motel.
”I needed that. So much…” Caleb said quietly to his companion. “Maybe this trip isn’t all bad.”
”Just remember me and Katania are always here to help you.”
Caleb suddenly paled. “Holy crap, Katania! I left her at the motel, dang it she’s going to strangle me!” The boy started running as fast as he could, ready to cap off the day with his best friend screaming at him for running off.
Sometimes he hates his life, sometimes he loves it.
This is a time he fears it.
~X~X~X~
Caleb walked down the sidewalk the next day, Gladius and Katania by his side. They had woken up just an hour ago, and after Caleb’s little time wandering yesterday, the general’s daughter was adamant on staying by his side this time. So the trio (the sword tucked into his sheath, obviously) were walking down the road towards Moss Jaw Heights’ mall.
”I’m hoping to pick up some souvenirs”, she explained, walking backwards after Caleb asked a question. “It’s not a constant thing to visit a made-up city that’s still trying to be grounded.“ She turned around. “Despite the aliens and intergalactic overlords.”
”Eh, I get that”, Caleb said with a shrug. “But… What would this place have that’s actually a souvenir to us? It’s Earth, there’s not a lot of stuff we can do.
”It’s the art style and idea”, the girl said in a snobbish but unserious tone. “I want the memory, and since it is my first adventure like this I want to make it feel special.”
”That’s… fair.” The trio stopped as they waited at a busy intersection For the crossing light to change. “What about you, Gladius? Are you hoping to find anything?”
“I don’t have much need for material goods like that”, the blade said, wiggling a bit. “I have people to help keep memories alive. Plus, I share a room with you. I’d rather let you have all the shelf and wall space.”
“That’s very sweet of you, Gladius”, Katania said with a smile. She was swaying in her steps, humming a little melody as they crossed the road. The bespectacled boy smiled lightly and hummed along with her, the song familiar enough so he could keep up. Katania smiled at him as Gladius joined in. The trio hummed until they made it to the parking lot of the mall, and they rushed towards the entrance.
Upon entering, Katania immediately ran off to check out a clothes store, leaving Caleb to just kinda idle about. So he shrugged and walked off elsewhere, only to be stopped when Kat suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him into the store. He sighed with a smile, and wiggled free so he could follow on his own pace.
As they entered the store, Katania instantly ran off to see what there was that fit herself, leaving Caleb to quietly walk around aimlessly. As he did so, he caught sight of someone familiar. Betty. And she seemed to be with her mom, clothes shopping. With a curious tilt of his head, he walked over towards her, which caught the Galactic Guardian’s attention.
”Hey Caleb!” Betty said happily. “How come you two are here?” She shared a subtle nod with Gladius, who nodded back.
”Katania wanted to see what was here”, Caleb said with a shrug, jabbing a thumb behind him at his friend.
Betty glanced over, watching as Katania was dotting about some of the green dresses. “Well, it’s nice that someone is excited.”
Caleb glanced at Betty’s mom. “I’m assuming your mom has turned you into a pack mule for today?”
”Actually, it’s school shopping…” Betty held up a list. “I have everything I need to get right here, but my mom… had different ideas…” She shot a scowl at her mom. “I love her, but sometimes I can’t help but feel frustrated…”
”I get that”, Caleb said with a nod. He fell silent as the older woman with blonde hair came over.
”Ohhh, Betty!” The woman cooed. “Who’s your handsome friend?”
”My name is Caleb ma’am”, the boy greeted, holding his hand out and shaking Mrs.Barrett’s. “Travelling the world with friends, and we decided to rest in Moose Jaw to just restock and relax. My friend Katania is over there.”
Mrs.Barrett glanced over at the girl briefly, then gave the boy a bubbly smile. “Well that’s wonderful! I do hope you enjoy your time here. Now, Betty, say goodbye to your friend, we have clothes for you to try on!” The older woman took Betty’s hand and dragged her away, the Galactic Guardian waving goodbye as they disappeared deeper into the store.
Caleb watched her go with a sad smile, and when she was gone, he sighed. “I really feel bad for Betty. Loves her mom, but can’t fully connect.”
”The two of them couldn’t be more opposite”, Gladius mumbled as the boy walked away elsewhere. “Do you think Mrs or Mr.Barrett are aware of Betty’s adventures and job?”
”No. Both of them, heck no one on Earth, are really aware of the Galactic Guardians. It’s considered a, as they say, ‘backwater planet’.”
Gladius hummed. “I don’t like that idea…”
Caleb silently shrugged, looking over some shirts. “It’s just how it is, sadly. Nothing we can do about it.”
Gladius fell silent as the boy joined back up with his friend, who was holding what seemed to be several new outfits. She looked up at her friend with star-filled eyes.
”Alright!” She began with a bright smile. “So I have a lot of stuff picked out, and I’ll be trying them all on. Can you wait outside the changing room for me, Caleb? I’ll hand you anything that doesn’t fit.”
Caleb nodded. “Sure. Anything for one of my best friends.” The girl beamed and rushed towards the changing rooms, but when she rounded around some racks, she stopped. Caleb stopped just behind her, and they both looked over to see Betty being taunted by a rich looking girl.
”Who’s that?” Katania whispered.
”Penelope”, Caleb Explained quietly. “Basically the Crus Cousins of this place.”
”Why am I not surprised Betty has to deal with a stuck up snob…” Gladius growled. “Everyone we know has to deal with one…”
The trio fell silent and continued to listen in, only to watch as Betty’s watch started beeping. She glanced over at the others, their eyes all meeting, and with a nod she made some excuse and ran off towards the changing rooms.
”Are we going to join her?” Katania asked.
”I mean, she p[robably thinks we are”, the boy said with a shrug. “So to the changing rooms!” The duo ran into the changing rooms, which happened to be the next ones beside Betty. They pulled the curtains closed, and waited for a bit. Before long, they were beamed up into the cruiser.
Katania face planted when she landed, and Caleb quickly helped her up. Gladius flew ahead into the cockpit. Betty was already up on her chair, and X-5 and Sparky were bantering like always.
As Caleb and Katania finally joined them, Gladius cleared his non-existent throat. “So, Betty… What’s going on this time?”
“Any villains that are causing issues?” Katania asked.
”Maybe…” the Galactic Guardian mused. “Something’s up with my old mentor, Spindly Tam Kanushu… I got a letter saying there was something going on. So we need to get to Brang Of Fragnog.”
Katania burst into a loud laughing fit. “I’m sorry, I‘m sorry… But what is that planet's name?” She continued to laugh, with Caleb fighting to bury a smirk.
”I apologize for that, Betty”, Gladius said in a flat tone. “Sometimes their sense of humor precedes me… But we will help save your master. Katania herself was trained in several martial arts.”
The guardian looked at the other girl, who was now calming down. “You have?”
”Yep!” Katania said proudly. “Part of being a general’s daughter. You pick up a lot. Also know how to use my fair share of firearms.” Much to everyone’s horror, Kat just pulled out a straight up magnum, spinning it around.
”KAT WHAT THE HELL?!” Caleb cried as he ducked a bit. “HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD THAT?!”
The girl looked at her friend with a confused look. “I always have it on me. I just never needed to use it.” She glared at him. “And if it freaks you out, tell that to my mom. She says it’s always good to be prepared.”
”Your mother is insightful”, X-5 said. “But did you have to bring your firearm with you? And they are illegal in Canada.”
”Just don’t let that slip out when we’re in Moose Jaw…” Betty said. “Otherwise we’ll all be in trouble.”
”Noted…” Katania slipped the gun away, looking off to the side in slight embarrassment.
”This is going to be interesting…” Sparky mumbled as he sent the ship down through their target planet’s atmosphere. The ship landed and they walked out, taking in the sights of a different kind of jungle than last time.
Or tried to, considering Sparky and X-5’s bickering.
“Hey, I was first!” The pilot spat. “You cut in front of me!”
“I was distinctly point zero three metres ahead of you”, the robot shot back.
Caleb rolled his eyes as his little trio walked beside Betty. “They just love to argue, huh?”
Betty sighed as she glanced back at her still arguing friends. “They do care about each other… They just have a… uh… Special way to show it. And they do work well as a team. It’s just…”
”They don’t always click”, Katania finished. “Trust us, our friends back at home get really butt heads sometimes. But because there’s so many of us, we all do work together.”
”And when push comes to shove”, Caleb added with a smile, “They all act like a family…” Caleb’s expression became downtrodden. “I miss them so much…”
Betty pursed her lips, and sighed. “After we help”, she began in a calm tone. “Me and you three need to talk about something.”
Caleb nodded and stopped when the group reached a bush, and Betty parted the leaves to reveal a massive Japanese styled dojo/temple, with two heavily armed and giant robots standing out front.
”Those look like Maximus’ robots…” Caleb whispered fearfully. “What are they doing here?”
“Uh, guys…” Kat pointed towards the temple’s front door, and the group all gasped. Minimus was leading the cloaked master Spindly Tam inside. “We need to help him!”
”Wait!” X-5 said suddenly. “Those robots are Mach 1 Maxi Devastation models. Not a bot to be taken lightly.”
”Don’t worry, X-5”, Betty said. “If Spindly Tam knows we’re in trouble, those robots don’t stand a chance. Let’s go.” She, Sparky and Betty ran forwards ready to take the robots on. But as they fought, Caleb and Gladius hung back with the mechanical Galactic Guardian.
”They just jumped in when there was an easy way to take this, didn’t they”, the boy said flatly.
”Yes, there is”, the robot said back with a sigh. He pulled a manual out of his chest, and started to read it over. Caleb and Gladius join in, and the sword hummed.
”You know, I’m surprised these villains keep getting away with all they do”, he said. “You seem prepared for any situation, X-5.”
”It’s all part of Galactic Guardian protocol”, the bot responded. “As Galactic Guardians, you must be prepared for anything, even if there’s a .0000000001 percent chance of it occurring.”
”Zomboss would love to meet you”, Caleb added. “He and the Doctor. They’re geniuses like you, so having another hand in their work who’s so prepared would make their day.”
X-5 paused and glanced at Caleb. “You really mean it?”
”I do, trust me. Plus, there’s other robots part of our ragtag family. Jenny, Star Dream, Warlord, Pyro and Viper. I’m sure they’ll all love to have another bot around.”
X-5 hummed in response, then returned his attention to the book. But based on how his antennae flicked a bit, he was obviously interested. The trio returned to spying on the book, and soon they reached a page that showed these massive and scary robots had a painfully obvious flaw.
So, as the others fought the one robot, X-5 led the boy and blade to the back of the other one. It was easy to open the hatch and flick the off switch, deactivating one. Then they moved to the second one and did the same thing, making the more trigger happy trio stop and look at them.
”Sorry for the delay”, X-5 said. “We had to go through a thousand pages of circuit schematics before finding where the power switch was located.”
”I feel like I could wire an entire city now…” Caleb said in quiet disbelief.
Katania laughed sheepishly as Betty and Sparky shared a look, all of them turning to look at Gladius as he hovered over the group.
”And this is why you listen to the smartest one”, he said. Caleb laughed as Sparky glared, the robot looking a bit proud of the praise.
The group decided to head back to the ship, and they were all idling in the cockpit, planning for the next course of action.
”Something is terribly wrong”, Betty began as she pondered on her seat. “Spindly Tam would not allow himself to be taken away so willingly.”
Sparky did a series of airborne flips before Some sparks shot out of his finger. “Aw, now I’ll never master this move…” Katania pat him on the shoulder reassuringly.
”Maybe Tam is playing Maximus”, Caleb suggested. “Like, rather than fight, he’s ’doing’ what Maximus wants him to, but really is tricking him.”
”Not a bad idea…” Betty said as she pressed a button on her chair. The creep on the main console turned on, showing a solar system, and the captain started to meditate. She lifted her hand, and as it started to glow, everyone started to float.
”Uh… Betty”, Sparky said in worry.
”Not now, Sparky… I almost have it…”
Caleb smiled and crossed his arms as he hovered in the air, watching as Betty went full Jedi.
”Morbidia!” The Galactic Guardian exclaimed. “That’s where he is!”
”Can we come down now?” Sparky asked. Betty chuckled sheepishly and waved her hand, sending everyone to the ground. Harshly.
”Oops… Sorry…”
~X~
After the ship had landed, the group all started to head towards a fort of some kind with a quickened pace. Caleb and Kat shared a nervous look as they neared the fort.
”We must be careful”, X-5 began. “This is the ancestral home of Maximus’ elite forces, the Morbidian Blood Monks!”
”That’s not scary at all…” The general’s daughter said in a nervous tone.
”Big deal”, Sparky said nonchalantly. “We’ve dealt with them before.”
”Yeah… But not this many”, Betty said. The group all peered around crates to see the massive group of red-clad ninjas all doing various training regimens. Most of it looked… odd, though, which made Caleb raise an eyebrow. On the other end of the fort was Spindly Tam, who seemed to simply be meditating.
As they glanced around, they spotted Maximus and Minimus approaching.
”Get down!” Gladius hissed. The group all did saw, listening in to the overlord and his right hand alien.
”At this accelerated rate”, Minimus explained to his master, “the Blood Monks could be ready much sooner than expected… your Irritatingly Impatient One…”
”Once Spindly Tam is finished training them”, Maximus added, “it’ll be like having hundreds of Atomic Bettys at my disposal!” As he walked off, he laughed evilly, making the group watch on in worry.
”Okay, so we all know that Spindly Tam is totally messing with Maximus, right?” Caleb whispered.
”He has to be”, Betty hissed in fear. “He’d never willingly side with a villain like Maximus… Unless he’s under some sort of control.”
”Or blackmail!” Sparky added. “What if Maximus found some secret, and he’s having the Tam-man do this so he doesn’t spill it.”
”What could Spindly Tam Kanushu know that Maximus could see as understandable leverage?” X-5 asked. “It seems highly unlikely, considering you seem to know a move the captain doesn’t know.”
As the two guardians butted heads, Katania got between them. “No, I think Caleb’s right, guys. Look.” She pointed at the Blood Monks. “They’re all doing dancing exercises. Moonwalking, aerobics, some of them are even doing a conga line!”
”Spindly Tam is teaching them… to dance?” Betty said in disbelief. She looked out at the monks, and snorted. “Maybe, but I still want to make sure… We need to get closer to Spindly Tam…”
Gladius cleared his throat and Sparky whistled, and the group all looked at them. The blade and pilot had found a stash of Blood Monk uniforms, so the rest of the group all made their way over and got into disguise. Once they were camouflaged, they all carefully merged into the rest of Maximus’ forces and followed along with the routines.
When they were close enough, Betty and Caleb pushed Tam away as the others played distraction, giving the Guardian a moment of peace with her master.
Barrett knelt down and bowed. “Spindly Tam. It’s me, Atomic Betty.”
The wise master looked down at her with a smile. “Aaaaaa, My favourite pupil. It is good to see you, how go your studies?” He glanced at the boy. “And who is your new friend?”
”Caleb, sir”, the boy said politely with a bow.
“They’re going well”, Betty answered. “What about you?”
Spindly Tam didn’t get to answer as some garbled speech came over some speakers, making all the Blood Monks run off towards the massive nearby ship, Maximus’. Betty took her master’s hand and they all met up at the stage.
”Ah, the new Blood Monks are ready for testing.” He paused and turned. “Maximus wishes to see them smash the ivory city of Termilan into tiny, little bits.”
”Is that why you called me?” Betty asked, sounding hurt. “You said it was urgent!”
”Have faith in your master, Betty”, Gladius said. “I’ve met many wise ones like him, and I can see what’s going on here…” He glanced at Spindly Tam, and the master smiled. That made Kat and Caleb smile, and Betty to relax. She nodded and watched as the Blood Monks took Spindly Tam with them onto Maximus’ ship, and soar into the sky when it was loaded.
”So what’s the plan, chief?” Sparky said. “Do we go and smash some Blood Monks?”
”Yeah, let’s go guys.” Betty started running ahead, Caleb and Katania close by her side. As they left the fort, she sighed. “You know, I was scared for a bit there… But you guys really helped show Spindly Tam was still on our side.”
”Trust me, Betty”, Caleb said with a smile. “I can just see from the look he had that he never really could betray you. You are his favourite, after all. Heck, maybe so much so… He could probably trust you with being his apprentice if you weren’t a Galactic Guardian.
”Maybe…” The group all boarded the ship, disposed of their disguises, and were off to the planet of Termilan. As they jumped via hyperspace, Caleb glanced at Betty. She was eyeing him with an uncertain look, but also one of intrigue. The boy smiled, and the guardian smiled back as they landed o just outside of the city.
The group all ran out and stopped, looking up at Maximus who was dressed like a Roman emperor.
“Please…” The supervillain began. “Join me in watching the ivory city of Termilan, reduced to nothing more than a pair of dice.”
”You’ll have To get through us first, Maximus”, Betty said with determination as the group all entered battle ready stances.
”So predictable… Well”, Maximus shrugged, “have it your way. Let the battle begin! Attack!”
A huge horde of the glass dome guards came rushing out, and while the Capital trio were caught off guard momentarily, they joined the Galactic Guardians in fighting back the horde. Any unconscious guards painfully rolled down the hill, giving the group more and more ground as they neared the overlord and his minion.
When the last guard fell, Minimus clapped. “Oh bravo! Encore, encore!” He looked up at Maximus’ glare, and spun his head around. “Hmm… I’ve seen better.”
”You are all so TEDIOUS!” Maximus barked. “Bring out my indestructible secret weapon… the new and improved Blood Monks…”
As Maximus laughed, his ship landed, and all the Blood Monks from the fort came marching out. Spindly Tam was hovering over them all, and Caleb smiled up at him, relaxing a bit.
The Guardians and their allies didn’t move from their positions, standing their ground. But with knowing looks in their eyes, they all smiled.
”Destroy them!” Maximus demanded.
”Ladies and gentlemen!” Spindly Tam called out, making Maximus look at him in confusion. “May I present to you… Fresh from the swamps of Morbidia… The spectacular debut of the Spindly Tam Kanushu Dancers!”
The Blood Monks all bowed and ripped off their red ninja garb, revealing all of them to be wearing pink glitter jazzercise uniforms. The heroes all relaxed and smiled as they watched the Monks break it down to some 80’s tunes.
”Check out those moves”, Sparky said with a smile as he followed along.
”What have you done to my Blood Monks?!” Maximus demanded the wise master. Tam didn’t say a word as he used his powers to effortlessly pick up the two villains and fling them away. As they soared over the crowd of dancers, Sparky did his several flips again and pointed at the villains, green energy shooting out, surrounding Maximus and Minimus, and sending them both flying over the horizon.
”You have learned well in the ways of the Spindly Tam, oh tiny, big nose, green one”, Spindly Tam said wisely as he hovered over to the group.
”Thank you, oh master of the moonwalk”, Sparky happily said with a bow.
”I knew someone of you mastery couldn’t betray his favourite student”, Caleb said with a smile.
”Ah, you are perceptive, young one”, Tam shot Caleb a smile. “I could sense Betty’s new friend was a smart one.”
”But… Why dancers?” Betty asked.
”It was time for a career change.” Tam lowered his sunglasses and winked.
”But what about this?” Betty activated her watch to reveal the letter she got. “You said it was urgent.”
“Oh, it is urgent.” The wise master snapped his fingers, and a bonsai tree appeared out of thin air. With a smile, he handed it to Betty. “Take good care of Freddy here. I’ve got to take the show on the road. Well, I’m off. C’mon boys!” The group waved goodbye as Tam led the Blood Monks back into Maximus’ ship, and took off into the stars.
Betty sat down on the ground, looking up with a bright smile, and sighed. “I am humbled by his infinite wisdom…” She stood up, holding the bonsai tree close. “Alright, gang, let’s get going! I don’t want my mom waiting too long for me to change.”
Caleb and Katania laughed as Sparky and X-5 shared a shrug, and as one the group all headed back to their ship.
~X~
Caleb and Katania waved goodbye to Betty as she and her mom walked back to their car, the Galactic Guardian holding Freddy the bonsai tree close. As the car left the parking lot, Kat sighed, her arms sagging with the weight of the several bags she was carrying.
”Today has been a long one…” She said with an airy smile. “I loved it, don’t get me wrong, but this whole trip is getting to me. I just want to get home and relax…”
”I will probably sleep for a few days”, Caleb joked, sighing as he stuck his hands into his pockets. “I hope the others are okay, though…”
”They are, you two, I just know it”, Gladius reassured. “Worried? Yes. But they are all fighters. They’ll keep going no matter what.”
”You’re right, Gladdy”, Katania said with a smile. She jumped, though, when there was a car honk, and the trio looked to see Crumplezone pulling up into the parking lot. He carefully made his way through the sea of parked cars till he pulled up next to them.
”Kinda thought you guys could use a lift!” CZ said as he popped open the cockpit. “And before you ask, I saw Betty’s ship in the sky, so I knew you guys were back doing whatever you were. Hop in!”
”Thanks CZ!” Katania said cheerfully, tossing all her purchases in the back and claiming a seat. Caleb rolled his eyes with a smile and sat in the front, and when the cockpit dome closed, they were off. It was a pretty silent and relaxing ride back to the motel, with Kat mostly dumping onto the Transformer everything they did today.
Caleb simply looked out the window as they drove, his mind wandering to elsewhere. His patience was wearing out, but he knew he had to keep a strong face for Katania and Gladius’ sake. When said blade poked into his vision, he just mouthed an “It’s fine” and ignored the sword.
Gladius sighed, but didn’t press, and simply lazed in his friend’s arms. As CZ pulled into the motel parking lot, Caleb stretched, almost knocking Gladius to the floor if the sword hadn’t started floating.
The boy climbed out of the Transformer and helped Katania escort her things to her shared room with Marina, before sitting on a patio set out front that overlooked the parking lot. He sighed, soaking in the sunset kissed sky. Blinking, he looked to his side as Betty seemingly appeared from nowhere and sat in the chair beside him.
”Hey”, she said. “I had a feeling this was where you guys were staying.”
”Y-Yeah”, Caleb said as he brushed his surprise. “What brings you here?”
”I wanted to talk… about travelling with you and stuff.” She looked at Caleb with a pinched look. “You really meant to ask me if you wanted us to tag along?”
Caleb blinked, then nodded. “I really did. I wouldn’t just let that slip by accident, and I know you guys are good people. More so now than anything. It was nice for you guys to include us…”
The Galactic Guardian smiled. “It’s just what I do.”
Caleb chuckled and then looked up at the sky. “But, anyway… Yes, I meant it. And I think it could be good for you guys. Just getting out there and seeing things even your own galaxy doesn’t have. Sure, you have all of that interstellar life, but do you have zombies? Sentient plants? Living video game characters? Worlds of blocks?” He paused. “People to always back you up…?”
Betty looked at Caleb sadly, her thoughts clearly buzzing behind her eyes. “You really miss home, huh?”
”I always am when I’m not there…”
The Galactic Guardian sighed, fiddling with her skirt a bit before looking at her friend with a determined look. “We’ll help you guys get home.”
the bespectacled boy sputtered for a moment, before looking back at the redhead with shock-filled eyes. “You… You will?”
”As Galactic Guardians, we need to help anyone in need, no matter how the task.” Betty had a stern look on her face. “If that involves leaving our universe altoughter, then we’ll do it.
”Plus… I have been liking you and the others a lot. You guys helped us out twice on a mission, and it makes me think that going with you wouldn’t be so bad.”
Caleb smiled, and he sighed. “That’d mean a lot to me, Betty. I promise you, nothing bad will happen to you or your friends.”
”Considering the friends you have right now… I don’t doubt that for a second.”
The duo fell silent as they watched the sky above, soon joined by Katania and Gladius. The four of them all talked until the night was getting closer, up until Betty had to go home. So she hopped into CZ with Marina, driving back home.
Caleb waved as CZ drove off, and sighed as he looked up at the sky one last time. Then, he headed off to get ready for bed. He knew with Betty, Sparky and X-5 by his side and part of this chaotic excursion, they’d make it back no problem.
Hopefully tomorrow was a stress free day…
~X~
And that’s the 18th chapter done and dusted! A longer one that I had a lot of fun writing, with some fun changes to the two episodes I picked to retake. Otherwise, there’s not a lot to say.
Also, you may have seen that I have opened an art collab for my series’ 3rd anniversary!!! The link to the form is in the special chapter I posted a day or two ago. Try to sign up if you can, I’d really appreciate it!
Like always, I hope y’all loved this chapter! Look forward to the next one soon!
Up next: One last patrol before leaving spirals into chaos when Maximus decides to try his most evil plan yet…
~Kat~
Chapter 19: Dog Star Sirius
Summary:
An exceptionally devilish and maniacal plan from Maximus has the group infiltrating a massive space station to save the galaxy…
Chapter Text
Caleb snored lightly in his bed, hugging a sheathed Gladius close. Zig and Bernie were in the other bed, and Sharko loudly snored on the couch. It was fairly peaceful in the guys’ room, but in the gals’ things were much different. Katania and Marina were wide awake this cool Canadian morning, chatting about all the clothes the general’s daughter had bought the other day.
”I know for a fact I won’t be able to wear all of these”, Kat said as she held up one of the dresses. “So if you want, Marina, you can take some of them.” She smiled kindly at the mermaid, who looked back in shock.
The mermaid then made shocked gestures, seemingly unsure if Kat was being honest or not.
The girl just laughed with a genuine smile. “I mean it, sis!”
Marina squealed and picked up a pastel green dress, one that was just long enough to hide her whole tail. She rushed into the bathroom and left it seconds after, now wearing said dress. She did a little spin and a few poses, making Katania clap happily.
”It looks great on you!” Marina blushed at Kat’s compliment, but her smile fell when she caught something through the window. Kat watched in concern as the mermaid walked over to the window, opened it, and leaned out.
“Is there something wrong, Marina?” The general’s daughter asked. Marina said she swore she saw something reflect in the light, thinking some creep was watching them with a camera.
Her face morphing in concern, Katania walked out of the room and around the back. She was just under their room window, but didn’t see anything. She eyed the quiet street carefully, and just as she was about to throw in the towel, she caught it. In the tree across the street, there was a camera aimed at the motel. Namely, her’s and Caleb’s room.
”What the hell…” She said breathlessly. With a kick in her drive, she rushed back around to the front, and started knocking on her best friends’ door. After a moment, a still half-asleep Caleb opened the door, still hugging a tired Gladius close to him.
”What’s going on, Kat?” the boy whined. “It’s seven in the morning!”
”Marina and I saw that there’s a camera across the street spying on us”, the girl said in a rushed way, her words somewhat slurring together. “Marina caught it, and I saw it when I went out back.”
Caleb instantly started to perk up as worry filled his veins. “Wait… what?” Sharko sprung to his feet and rushed out, heading into the other room to check on his girlfriend.
Gladius wiggled out of the boy’s grasp and flew into the room, heading towards the window and looking at said tree. “I do see the camera… Do you know who it could be?”
”No idea. We don’t even know how long it's been there!” Kat was panicking, looking around like she was worried someone was watching them at that moment. “I don’t do well in situations like this.”
”Okay… You relax here with Marina…” Caleb led her inside the room and sat her on the bed. “Ransack and Crumplezone will keep watch. Zig!” The hyena jumped up in shock, then saluted. “You and Sharko are coming with me and Gladius to check this camera out. Bernie.” The mollusk perked up at the mention of his name. “You stay here and give Kat and Marina company, okay?”
Bernie nodded as he climbed into Kat’s lap, reassuring the girl a bit more.
With his friend safe and secured, Caleb quickly headed into the bathroom to get changed. When he was back out in a fresh outfit, he smiled as Sharko was reassuring Marina on the couch.
”Alright boys!” Caleb called out, his smile becoming a stern look. “Let’s deal with this camera, and see if there’s anything else going on.”
Sharko, Zig and Gladius all nodded, and they all headed outside as a troop. The hyena and shark were in their full disguises, and Gladius was sheathed and hanging from the boy’s back, so they headed around the back of the motel, passing by the two Transformers parked in a defensive way.
Upon reaching the tree, the group looked up at the camera Katania had pointed out. But it didn’t seem to be a camera at all. Sharko lifted the boy up, and he got as good of a look at the strange device as he could.
It was circular, with only a blinking red light and small antennae on it. With a confused look, Caleb grabbed it, and threw it to the ground hard. Zig jumped back a bit as shards of glass and metal flew out, leaving the device as a useless pile of scrap.
”Whatever it is, doesn’t matter now”, the boy said in a frustrated tone. “But when I find whoever put this here and scared Kat, they’re dead.”
Sharko put him down, and the trio started to walk back to the motel. But when they looked up, they saw Betty’s ship high above. Concern etching across their faces, the group rushed back to the room just as they were all beamed up. Even Ransack and Crumplezone were taken along, the two Transformers hanging onto the sides in surprise.
In the bridge, Caleb looked up at a concerned Betty, who was in her chair with a contemplative expression.
”Betty, what’s going on?” The boy asked as Gladius started to hover.
”Something just feels off today…” She said in worry. “I found this strange device in my backyard, and I realised it was one of Maximus’ gadgets. X-5 is analysing it now.”
”That explains why he’s not here…” Katania mumbled. “But why call everyone here?”
”I feel like Admiral DeGill will call us about it soon, so I decided just to get ready as soon as possible.”
Zig and Bernie shared a nervous look just as X-5 entered the bridge, the screen on the main console flashing to life. Admiral DeGill was sitting at his desk, a stern look on my face.
”Atomic Betty”, He began. “The data X-5 sent us on that strange device has the potential to spell doom for the whole galaxy!”
Marina whimpered a bit as the Galactic Guardian’s expression became fierce. “What’s Maximus planning, Admiral?”
”It appears these devices are scanning the known cosmos for each planet’s most valuable resource”, the fish continued as some information projected next to him. “And it’s all feeding back to a massive drilling device Maximus has built. If he gathers enough data, then the drill will activate and rip every planet in its path apart. Your mission is to go to the drill and destroy it anyway you can, while disconnecting the other devices across the cosmos.”
Caleb leaned into view, giving the fish a salute. “I promise, DeGill, Maximus won’t get away with this. Betty, Sparky and X-5 have all of us backing them up.”
”Good. Don’t fail the galaxy in this troubling time, we’re all counting on you.” The screen call ended, leaving the group only with the ambience of the shit to fill the void.
“Alright, Captain!” Sparky said in determination. “What’s the plan for taking out a planet busting drill?”
”First, we need to get close enough to see what we’re up against…” Betty explained. “Then we’ll infiltrate. X-5, were you able to see any blueprints or layouts of the drill from the devices database?”
”Negative, Captain”, the robot said with a shake of his head. “Maximus has improved his cybersecurity and firewalls, so all I could intercept were a few orders for particular parts and what resources are the most valuable on earth.”
“So we’re going in blind…” Gladius mumbled in thought. “Perhaps, if we’re stealthy, I could slip into a vent and hack into the system so we could find a weak point that will give us our ticket to destroy the drill.”
”Good idea!” Sparky said. “Alright, we have a plan, everyone hold on!”
“Sparky, wait-” Betty’s plea fell on deaf ears as the ship pilot shot the ship into hyperdrive, blasting it through the stars. Everyone had to brace, with the two Transformers holding on for dear life.
Sparky was in his moment, eyes a bit wild, as the ship blasted off towards an isolated area far off from any planets with even a shred of life. Then as abruptly as it started, the ship stopped, and everyone inside the bridge minus the Guardians were thrown to the floor.
”Are you guys okay?!” Betty cried in worry, jumping down to assess things.
Caleb groaned and rolled over, eyes spinning. “This is why I hate riding roller coasters…”
”More warning next time would be nice!” Katania cried out angrily.
Zig and Sharko rocketed to their feet and snarled at the pilot, making Sparky shrink down a bit in fear.
”We’re all in one piece, and that’s what matters…” Gladius said, trying to keep things together. Looking outside, he glanced at Ransack. “Is everything good for you two?”
”All good… out here… Gladius…” The motorbike robot said, trying to regain his balance. “Me and Cz just… need a moment to… tell where up and down are…”
“Not fully…” Crumplezone said in a dread filled tone. “You guys might want to see this…”
Everyone in the bridge shared nervous looks, and all peered out the left of the front window. With a gasp, they saw what Maximus had built.
It was about the size of a moon, and was shaped like a spear. With a massive and scary looking drill at the tip, covered in serrated, claw-like teeth, it made the group all realise that this wasn’t just simply about mining planets…
This was about tearing them apart, gutting them completely.
~X~
Having angled the ship so it was facing Maximus’ current grand plan, the group all remained silent as they mulled over their options. They could see some of Maximus’ smaller guard ships flying around, making a direct assault with the ship not viable.
”And we won’t be able to slip in close either”, X-5 said as he looked over some papers. “Scans indicate there’s multiple detection fields in place to keep any intruders in other ships out. there’s no way for us to get close.”
Caleb squinted as he rubbed his chin in thought, only to then snap his fingers. “X-5, the scans are for technology only, right?”
”Affirmative.”
”Then why don’t those of us who aren’t machines head over there in space suits and infiltrate?” The boy spun around to the others, giving them a determined look. “That way we can sneak in and disable everything, find the schematics, get picked back up, and destroy this drill!”
”Not a bad idea, Caleb…” Gladius said in thought.
”We’ll need a small team, though”, Betty said. “I’ll be going, so will Caleb and Gladius. Bernie”, the mollusk perked up, “You can help us by slipping through vents. Anyone else?”
Sparky raised his hand, only for Betty to shake her head. “You need to stay here and pilot the ship, Sparky. And you’ll have to stay too, X-5.”
”You got it, Captain…” Sparky said as he deflated. Sharko gave Marina a kiss before walking up and offering himself to tag along.
”Okay, so that’s the team!” Caleb said. He glanced at Katania. “Are you okay with staying behind?”
”I am”, the girl said. “I need to make sure these two don’t rip each other apart.” Sparky and X-5 both glared at her, and she coldly glared back, which just made Caleb smile.
”Alright, let’s get suited up, gang!” Caleb led the group out of the bridge, with those staying behind waving goodbye.
Betty took over the lead and showed the group where the ship stored their extra space suits. Thankfully, they were all form fitting, so Caleb, Bernie and Sharko all got suited up as Betty activated her own suit’s space travel mode.
When they were all ready, the group headed out of the airlocke. Caleb squeaked and held Gladius as they floated out into the stars. The sword just chuckled and started to hover towards the drill, with Betty right by their side. Bernie was riding on Sharko, but the ocean predator was struggling to use his suit’s jetpack.
Caleb laughed back at him, then looked at Betty. “So, when we get in, what’s the plan?” His voice crackled with the static of his suits speaker.
”We’ll first head in through a blind spot in the defenses”, Betty began. “Then, hopefully, find some way to break into the system so we can find the security room.”
”Bernie can do that. He might seem like it, but he and Zig can build and mess around with technology like no one else. He’ll crack the system.”
”I’ll have to take your word on that…” Betty trailed off as she motioned for the group to fall silent, and they all hid behind a lonely asteroid not too far from their target. Well, Sharko slightly crashed into it, but recovered quickly.
They spied the patrols of the ships, and while there were a lot of them, they all did spot there was an opening down at a nearby emergency hatch. All sharing a nod, they slipped past when the patrol opened up and made it to the hatch. Sharko was quick to rip it open, and they all slipped in before they could be spotted.
Once inside, the group deactivated the helmets and started to sneak through the room they were in. It seemed to be an armoury of some kind, but based on the weapons still being stored in boxes and cases, it wasn’t in use yet.
”It looks like Maximus was planning more than just a galaxy wide leveling…” Caleb whispered as he nervously glanced at the weapons. “He was gonna use this whole place as a destroyer!”
”That’s not all, look at this…” Betty held up a clip board, and used her watch to give light to it. The group all read it over, and became uncomfortable with how the papers detail which planets would be enslaved, with their people locked up on the ship in certain areas.
”That is horrible”, Gladius hissed in horror, sharply looking around at all the weaponry. “And with how big this place is, Maximus could house a planet’s population sized army here.”
”Especially since a third of it is robot”, the bespectacled boy said in a shiver.
”Which gives us more reason to get this place shut down and destroyed”, the Galactic Guardian set down the papers and faced Bernie. “Bernie, Caleb said you’re good with tech. Can you break a panel open and make it so we can get a map of this place?”
The mollusk squeaked with a salute, and dashed off Sharko and over to a nearby communication panel. He ripped it open with ease and started fiddling with the wires and other components inside. He gestured Betty over, and she did so as the mollusk started pulling out several wires. Quick as a flash, Bernie connected them to Betty’s watch, pulled out a keyboard of his own, and quickly typed out several codes.
In seconds, Betty’s watch beeped, and a whole map of the drill was projected out as a hologram. With a confident squeak, Bernie put everything back to how it was, put his keyboard away, and climbed back on top of Sharko’s head.
”Okay, wow…” the Galactic Guardian said in surprise. “I didn’t know he was this good.”
”I said what I said”, Caleb said with a smug smile. Betty sighed and pushed him lightly, heading to the door and carefully opening it. Peeking into the hallway, she gestured for the others to follow, and the group all carefully snuck down. It was fairly quiet, but based on the distant sounds of maintenance and work, it seemed this whole place was still under construction.
So, with Maximus’ forces distracted, the group all slipped into the shadows and slithered around like snakes. Whenever they had a chance to, they’d slip off to double check the map before returning along their path. It was close a lot of times, with some of Maximus’ henchmen or hired crews almost spotting them, but thankfully they made it to the security room with little issue. The door was unfortunately locked, so Bernie had to slip into the vents and crawl around to unlock the door from the other side.
The others, in the meantime, slipped into an empty room so they couldn’t be spotted, and planned their next course of action.
Betty had the map out, and was looking over potential escape routes.
”After we disable the exterior defenses”, she began, pointing at the map. “We could take this route to the hangar. That way Sparky could bring the ship in, pick us up as me moves, and destroy the most sensitive parts of the ship.”
”Maybe they should go backwards”, Caleb suggested, tracing the path Betty gestured for the ship. “That way, we get picked up right as the place is exploding, so minimal danger. Trust me, I’ve seen a lot of massive exploding ships to know that working backwards is better.”
“I agree with Caleb’s motion, especially since you all have space suits”, Gladius added. “If there’s a cable function…” Betty nodded, “Then we can just throw them out, have Ransack and Crumplezone grab them, and pull us to safety.”
”Okay, we’ll do that.” Just as Betty closed the map, the door to the security room opened. Swiftly, the group slipped across the hall and inside, sealing the door behind them. Bernie greeted them from the console, and immediately both him and Betty got to work trying to crack the systems and shut everything down.
As Sharko guarded the door, Caleb walked around the main console and looked out the massive window that seemed to show off the central shaft of the ship. Energy traveled between openings to others, and gravity was grounded to the whole circumference of the cylindrical tunnel, so the boy and his blade companion could see Maximus’ forces walking at all angles.
”This place is so much bigger when you really look at it…” Caleb said in quiet fascination. “How could Maximus even build this on top of his other plots, though? Either he’s so rich, a great multitasker, using a Time Machine, or all three.”
”Maximus is an overlord, as he says”, Betty explained, not breaking focus from the console. “Despite how much I hate it, he has a lot of support. You saw how he has a whole race of people following him.”
”Yeah, the Blood Monks. And these guys who walk around with axes. But it still seems so weird to me that no one else really stops him aside from, well, you guys.”
”Planets do have their own police forces, Maximus is just… on a different level, is the best way I could put it.”
“That does make sense…” Gladius mumbled to himself, as Sharko and Bernie nodded in understanding at the Galactic Guardian.
”So we do our best, but usually Maximus does get away. Or we put a stop to his scheme, and he moves onto the next one. He never really goes back to one.”
”That’s good to know.” Caleb fell silent and returned to watching out the window, but jumped a bit when a ship flew overhead. It was Maximus’ main ship, so the boy and sword ducked down as a precaution. Glancing over the ledge, they watched as Maximus and Minimus climbed out and started to head to the area right under them.
”Might want to speed it up Betty… Maximus is here”, Caleb said in worry.
”Almost got it, Caleb…” The Guardian said slowly. “Bernie, keep doing what you’re doing-” She was cut off. “We’re in!”
Caleb and Gladius rushed over and watched as she and the mollusk worked like machines, getting the communication jammers, detection fields, and all weapons deactivated. When it came to the database, Betty knew who to call.
“X-5, we’re in”, she said as a hologram of the bridge projected up. “We need you to delete all of Maximus’ database with all of this. Bernie will be helping you.”
“Affirmative Captain”, the robot responded with a nod and salute. He started to plug himself into the guardian’s ship console, and thanks to Bernie he was able to tap into the database wirelessly.
”Sparky, when X-5 is done I want you to fly the ship through the back end of the drill and destroy everything.”
”You got it, Betty!” Sparky started to get the ship warmed up, only for things to fall silent when the door opened.
The group spun around and looked at a furious looking Maximus and concerned Minimus, with several guards behind them.
”Atomic Betty”, the cat snarled. “What a pleasure to see you here. And you brought your little friends too.”
”You already lost, Maximus”, Betty said as she posed triumphantly. “X-5 is shutting down everything as we speak, so surrender now and we’ll go easy on you.”
”I’m not letting you undo all my hard work! Guards, seize-” The supervillain was cut off when his right hand man tugged on his cloak. “What is it, Minimus? I’m trying to put my nemesis in her place.”
”He might have something to say about that”, the timid alien said while pointing to Maximus’ left. The cat looked over, and instantly turned pale at the sight of a snarling and violent Sharko right in his face. The shark let out a ferocious roar that shook the room.
Caleb’s face became an exaggerated frown. “You guys might want to shield your eyes…” Bernie did just that while Betty, Gladius, and those in the hologram all looked at him in confusion. Zig and Marina shared a look, and watched with growing anticipation.
Sharko flexed his arm and rolled up the sleeve so his shark fin became a cartoonishly buff arm, all punctuated with a gun cock sound.
Immediately after that, the horror compensated. Sharko proceeded to completely decimate Maximus and Minimus, treating them exactly like how he did Zig so many times before. The shark threw them against the walls, slammed them on the floor, pulverized them with a flurry of punches…
Betty, Sparky and X-5 were completely floored, and horrified how their greatest enemies were turned into punching bags, once feared overlords completely laid out in one fell swoop. Even I’m the hall, the guards, Blood Monks and robots were all horrified, and soon sucked into the tornado of pain as Sharko brought the battle into the hallway. The whole drill shook with each punch, stopping maintenance crews and alerting all other forces onboard.
”This is our chance!” Caleb cried. “To the hangar!”
Betty shut off the hologram, and the group rushed towards the hangar, leaving Sharko to prove why he’s a one-man army. Guard after guard, Blood Monk after Blood Monk, he tore them all to shreds, his unmatched brute strength nothing like they put up with.
After a bit, Maximus and Minimus were able to limp away from the carnage, beaten, bruised and the worst they ever felt. They quickly fled to their ship, deciding to cut their losses and abandon this whole plan. With this rabid shark levelling everything, it wasn’t worth saving.
They took off back to their main base, they passed the Galactic Guardian cruiser. Inside, X-5 had just finished deleting the data, signalling for Sparky to kick the engine into full gear. He headed right towards the drill, fired up the ship’s weapons, and as soon as he slipped in he opened fire. Ransack and Crumplezone joined in, calling to the heavens for their cyber key powers, and with their weapons fully charged, opened fire as well.
In the hangar, the group all wobbled on their feet as the drill was ripped apart, watching as Sharko exploded from an upper door, roaring with wrath as dismantled robots, empty Blood Monk uniforms, and unconscious guards flying out of his way.
”Sharko, c’mon!!!” Caleb called to him. The ocean king looked down and started to make his way down just as the cruiser started to barrel down at them. Just as they just joined them, all of the group with space suits extended their cords, and Gladius used his telekinesis to lift them up. CZ saw, and acting fast, he reached down and grabbed the cord ends.
The drill infiltration team were pulled out as escape pods and ships fled the drill, and the heroes all watched from afar as it was ripped apart from explosions all happening within. Caleb cheered, his voice cracking thanks to his suit’s speaker, which made everyone else cheer.
As the drill was turned to nothing but flaming scrap, the Galactic Guardians and allies flew off back to earth, ready to call this day a success.
~X~
Back at their motel, Caleb was humming away as he packed up everything he had. It was time to move on to the next world, or hopefully home. Zig, Bernie and Sharko all did their own thing, with Gladius outside walking with Ransack and Crumplezone. Katania and Marina would definitely take a bit longer, though, because of all the dresses.
WIth a smile, Caleb grabbed his packed luggage and stepped outside, only to stop when Betty was standing there before him, in her usual Earth outfit.
”Betty, hey”, the boy greeted. “Come to say goodbye?”
”No”, the redhead said with a shake of her head. “I actually wanted to tell you something.” She stepped aside as a disgusted Zig and Sharko walked past with their stuff. “You know how I said I’d think about joining you?”
Caleb blinked, sharing a quick glance with Katania as she just left her room. They both knew what that meant. “So… what about it?”
”After we dropped you guys off, I talked with Sparky and X-5… and we agreed that yes, we’ll join you guys. Plus, travelling in a cruiser like ours would be better.”
”That’s so true!” Ransack called out. “No offense to the shark and mermaid, but a guy can only take transporting your butts so often!” Sharko growled, and Marina scoffed.
”Well… The guys are coming by with the ship, so be ready, okay?”
Caleb smiled and looked up as the cruiser zipped back above overhead, and in a split second the crew were all back on board. Ransack and Crumplezone were more relaxed on the wings as the others all made it to the bridge.
Sparky was munching on some strange alien delicacy , spinning to face the others. “Heya’, guys! Ready to get this show on the road! I am!”
”Ignore him, he’s been going on for so long about the different foods he could try”, X-5 said with an eye roll. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t go overboard.”
Caleb and Kat laughed as Gladius snorted. “Thank you, X-5.”
”Alright!” Betty called out from her chair, donning her Galactic Guardian loo again. “Let’s get some distance from any prying eyes, and then Caleb can do whatever he does so we can get moving.”
As Sparky flew the ship away from the planet, Caleb looked at Gladius, and they quietly discussed how they should tackle this.
”Not sure how to open a portal with the ship?” Katania asked.
”No, we aren’t…” Caleb said. “I could go out in a space suit again, but…”
”Hand on…” Gladius said. Everyone looked at him as he spied the console, then bopped up with an idea. “Caleb, stab me into the centre console.”
”Uh, what?” Sparky said as Caleb grabbed the blade.
”I don’t agree with this!” X-5 hollered, only to deflate when Caleb did as the sword said. Sure enough, the console was damaged horribly. But then Gladius started to glow, and to everyone’s shock, the console was fixed with a new slot for the sword.
”Perfect! Now we can channel the energy through the ship’s tractor beam!” Gladius said proudly.
"And you knew this would work how?” Ransack asked in an accusing tone.
Gladius was silent for a moment. “Gut feeling.”
Everyone looked at him blankly, but didn’t press as Caleb took a deep breath. There was a shake across the ship and the boy tightened, and energy surged down and out the tractor beam’s exit. A light shot out, and a distance away the familiar portal opened again.
”YES!” Caleb cheered as he pulled Gladius out. “That’s it guys! right through there!” He looked up at Betty. “Ready for a new kind of adventure, Captain?”
”Yes I am”, she said back with a smile. “Sparky, full power!”
”Let’s do this!” Sparky forced the accelerator at the max, and the ship shot into the portal, leaving quiet space in their wake.
Little did they know, though, but another ship appeared shortly after through a similar portal. Coming out of the mysterious ship in space suits were Ralph and Steve, with Jenny flying around next to them.
”Virus said they should be here!” Ralph said in worry. “We’ve checked all the universes around then Transformers one, and nothing!”
”Maybe they moved around a lot before we showed up and Caleb was never here?” Jenny said, but her tone clearly sounded like she didn’t want that to be true.
Steve pulled out a device from his pocket, and gasped. “Wait, a portal opened right next to hours, seconds before we showed up!” The other two scrambled next to him and looked. Using that leftover energy, they used the screen to replay the last few moments, and with beaming smiles they saw Caleb in Betty’s ship. “Caleb, Kat and Gladdy are okay!”
“Back to the ship, we need to tell the others!” Ralph barked.
The trio all headed back into their ship, and as soon as they arrived they were gone, ready to give their friends the good news. When they did, the Capital became that bit brighter…
~X~
And so ends the Atomic Betty arc! This was a really fun arc to write, especially with this final chapter, so now it’s next world time baby!!! I will say, though, that that arc will take a bit. It’s gonna be very character heavy and emotion driven, so give it time.
But yeah, this wasn’t an episode of the show. I made this all up on my own, although there is minor Star Wars inspiration with this whole little escapade. And if you felt the way the situation was overcome was a bit anticlimactic, I mean… Sharko was right there. And Maximus loses so often that a super powered shark being like that makes sense to completely lay him out.
Anyway, love you all, keep giving me the support, and do try and join my art collab please.
Up next: The group, after a pretty rough crash landing, find themselves in a secluded village in a valley filled with music, colour… and magic…
~Kat~
Chapter 20: An Amazing Magical Family
Summary:
Now with the Galactic Guardians by their side (and the ship too), the group finds themselves crash landed in a valley surrounded by mountains. Within is a special village where a certain magical family lives…
And the one who, even without any magic, leaves one heck of a first impression…
Chapter Text
Upon entering the portal, there was some minor turbulence as Sparky adjusted to the interior of the tunnel. But, thankfully, things were smooth sailing from then on. X-5 was silently running calculations as he scanned the odd tunnel, Sparky was focused on piloting and eating sombre snacks, while Betty just took in the sights.
”So this… this is how you travel?” She asked in disbelief. “This is…”
”Incredible?” Caleb said with a smirk as he leaned against the base of the captain’s chair. “Yeah, it’s a lot at first, but you get used to it.”
”What’s up with all the movies on the wall?” Sparky asked, his mouth full of his food. X-5 and Katania recoiled in disgust, but Caleb paid it no mind.
”Memories from across existence, scenes from different worlds, stuff like that. Basically so that no matter where you are, the whole essence of creation is there to help you.”
”Very poetic way to put it, Caleb”, Gladius said with a nod, doing his best to ignore the pilot’s awful eating habits. “Rainbow used that analogy herself centuries ago when we visited the Egyptian gods’ home universe once.”
”That’s… wait what?” Betty gave the trio from the Capital a look of shock. “They actually exist?”
”Yep! When we get back to the Capital, I can see if maybe I can call Ra over”, the sword said before heading into the back of the ship, where the tropical island trio were. What they were doing, no one knew.
Caleb smiled as he watched him depart, and things in the bridge fell silent. So, with a relaxed sigh, the boy returned to looking out the window, taking in all the familiar sights of the tunnel. With nothing going on, Katania decided to see what was happening in the back. So, with a slight spring in her step, she headed out of the bridge.
Upon getting to what she assumed was a dining area, she saw Marina, Sharko and Gladius all sitting at the table watching Zig and Bernie working on something. So, with her curiosity piqued, she sat beside the mermaid.
”What’s going on?” The girl asked quietly.
Marina said that the two inventors were working on some sort of potential tracker to maybe locate where the Capital was.
”And I told them it wouldn’t work”, Gladius whispered in an annoyed tone. “But nooooo, they said they could crack it.”
Sharko mumbled this was their fifth try somehow.
Katania giggled and watched the hyena and mollusk try to make their fifth tracker, only for it to suddenly explode in their faces. Literally. As sparks flew out of the unfinished device, Zig was harshly electrocuted and thrown into the wall above the group at the table. He was charred and frozen, and with a thud he crashed on the table.
Sharko sighed with a head shake, both girls giggled, and Gladius crossed his wings and shook his jewel in disappointment. It was all lighthearted, but a few bangs from outside made the group go quiet.
”Uhhhhh… Guys?” Ransack called out, his voice making through the metal. The group at the table all shared worried looks, then rushed towards the front. Bernie dragged a still charred Zig, and they all looked out the left side of the front window.
”Ransack, what’s going on?” Betty asked in worry.
”What is that?” He pointed towards the left side of the tunnel, and all the others followed his finger. Outside, just barely visible, was a massive mass moving past. It looked to be getting bigger slowly.
”That’s another universe”, Gladius explained. “Newly formed ones can be very… noticeable, when using portals.”
”Is that why it’s getting bigger?” Katania asked, this mystery universe still gaining size.
”No. When created, universes are one size”, the sword said matter of factly. “They only grow in size when new things are added, and it’s not a gradual increase.”
There was a lull as everyone let that sink in. Then, as if a lightning bolt shot through them, they all paled.
”IT’S COMING RIGHT AT US!!!” Crumplezone cried.
”Sparky! Evasive maneuvers!” Betty barked.
”NO!” Gladius cried just before the pilot could send the ship into a spin. “If we scrap against the side of the tunnel, there’s potential for us to be thrown around and ripped to shreds, and an equal chance we end up scattered across the multiverse.”
”So we just let that thing hit us?!” Sparky screamed.
”Because we’re in a portal, we’ll be thrown into that universe. So I need you all to brace!”
”But what about last time?!” Caleb cried.
”That was a universe going in front of us, this one will definitely hit us.” The wall of the portal started to crack. “Everyone hold on!”
With a deep thundering crack, the mass of energy broke through, making the ship stop dead in its tracks. The group could only watch as the universe engulfed them, sending the ship through something akin to an electrical storm. Ransack and Crumplezone took it well, but the ship’s engines were shot hard. Sparky acted quickly as the cruiser started to dive down rapidly.
Caleb and Katania hugged each other as everyone was thrown around. Zig was slammed into a wall, and narrowly avoided Sharko. Bernie hid in his shell and pinged around like a pinball, which left damage in the ship wherever he hit. X-5 cried in terror and covered his face, while Marina was caught between excitement and horror.
Betty was buckled in her seat with her eyes closed, and when she opened them, they bugged out.
“EVERYONE HANG ON!!!” Was all she got out before the ship crashed into a mountain side, Ethen barreled into a dense jungle. Sharko lunged forward and pulled Marina, Kat and Caleb into a bear hug to shield them from the brunt of the impact.
The ship quaked as it dug into the ground, ripping trees and bushes out as it tore through the landscape, which also threw Ransack and Crumplezone off the wings. Any wildlife was smart to run away, and birds flew around frantically as the ship continued along. After what felt like an eternity, the ship was lodged in a notably more durable mound of dirt, making it stop dead and lift a bit up.
Sharko was thrown through the front glass and crashed into a tree. He was only a little injured, but when he opened his arms, he was so thankful the three he protected were only a little frazzled.
The quartet looked at the ship, and watched as it landed flat with a loud thud, which scared more birds away. There was groaning from inside, so Caleb sprung to his feet quickly.
”Is everyone okay?!?!” He cried out. Inside the ship, there were more groans, and behind, he saw the two Transformers run up, looking dented but overall fine.
”That… was our worst crash yet…” Sparky groaned as he lifted himself up, leaning against the console.
”You’ll get used to it…” Gladius wheezed as he did the same.
Caleb, Kat and Marina ran over to the ship’s side door, and forced it open. Smoke and steam bellowed out, and the lights inside all flickered, went out, then turned back on red.
”Systems have all failed…” X-5 said, looking over some papers he pulled out of his chest. “We’re on the emergency generator, communication and engines are too damaged to function.
”Can you fix it, X-5?” Betty said, trying to regain her bearings.
“Yes… but it will take a while. I’m predicting a week, plus a few more days if needed.”
Zig, who was embedded in a well, pulled himself out and crashed on the floor, but he thankfully recovered quickly. As he dusted himself off, he suddenly looked panicked, then started rushing around the ruined ship. Caleb, Kat and Marina watched as he went over to a pile of scrap, and pulled out a very terrified but okay Bernie.
”Okay, everyone is accounted for…” Caleb said with a sigh. He stepped back out of the ship, and looked around the immediate area. It was a decent clearing in a jungle, but based on things, Caleb cringed and assumed that was because of the crashed ship.
The jungle they were in seemed to be in a valley of some kind, based on the towering mountains that surrounded them and hid the horizon. Thankfully, it was night, so it was very unlikely anyone saw or heard them.
With a sigh, The boy turned to the two Transformers. “Ransack, Crumplezone, I need you two to help Sharko clear this area out more. X-5 and Sparky are going to need more room when they repair the ship. And we need a place to camp…”
”You got it, Boss”, CZ said with a salute. He moved over to some downed trees towards the back and lifted them with ease, but then stopped. “Uhhhhhh… where do we put all of this stuff?”
”Toss them over there”, Katania said, pointing to an area a bit away from the ship. “We’ll use them as fire wood.”
The two transformers nodded, and the shark joined in, leaving the two humans and mermaid on their own.
”So what’s the plan, Caleb?” The girl asked her best friend.
”We… We’ll camp out tonight, let X-5 assess the damages, and go from there…” He looked off towards the jungle that led away from the mountains they were close to, the two girls following his gaze. “Maybe if we’re lucky, there’ll be a town or something we can get supplies at…”
Marina hummed in concern, but she did hope so too. The three of them then went and helped with making the area more clean. It wasn’t a lot of work, thankfully, and soon the group had their tents set up. The ship’s emergency power was luckily hooked up in a way to Sparky could extend the ship’s landing gear and underside access ramp, giving him and X-5 better ability to see what was wrong.
Bernie and Zig were with them, leaving the others to all huddle around the fire they lit. Caleb and Kat sat on one tree Ransack had placed down for them, and the boy let out a sigh.
”Well this is a bitch and a half…” He growled. “Stranded in an unknown universe. God I hope this doesn’t screw things up…”
”It will be fine, Caleb”, Gladius reassured. “Remember, no matter what we’ll make it home.”
”I know, I know…” The boy sighed. “Just tired.”
”Need some sleep?” Betty asked.
”I do. I’m just waiting for the others to get back and give us the rundown.”
As if by chance, X-5 and the others came over, with the robot hovering over to his captain.
”X-5, status on the ship”, the Galactic Guardian ordered.
”We ran through several tests, and the damages equate to most of the electrical systems, the starboard engine, the weapons systems, and most fuel connections. Thankfully, the central fuel tank wasn’t damaged at all, so there weren't any leaks.”
”That’s good”, Betty said with a relieved sigh. “And how long will it take for you guys to fix it?”
”With Zig and Bernie helping us out…” Sparky said, doing some quick counting on his fingers. “Maybe a week. Like what rustbucket said.” The robot glared at his teammate, but nothing was said.
Caleb breathed out heavily, and stood up. “Alright, so we know how bad things are. I’m going to bed, then we’ll make a team together and see what there is in here.”
”I’ll run some extra scans to see where we are”, X-5 added. “So if we need disguises, I can make them.”
Marina waved her hands around, bouncing excitedly about helping. Caleb smiled and headed into his tent, ready to turn into the night. With a yawn, he curled up in the sleeping bag and was out like a light. Slowly, everyone else followed suit, with Gladius wrapping up in his sheath and falling asleep in his friend’s arms.
~X~
The next morning, the campsite was busy. When everyone was up, X-5 explained that they were in the South American country of Columbia, which made the capital trio all share looks. That seemed… too much of a coincidence…
So Marina and X-5 had tag teamed and made a bunch of location appropriate disguises. There wasn’t enough for everyone, as it was decided Caleb, a hidden Gladius, Kat, Marina, Zig, Betty and Sparky would go for this first excursion. Just so they could get a better lay of whatever is beyond their camp.
As Caleb got his purple and magenta poncho on, he looked over at Katania, who was trying to get into a traditional Colombian dress. When that wasn’t working, she switched to one of the extra men’s outfits.
”Be careful, Kat”, the boy said in a warning tone. “People might react negatively if they see you in that.”
”Who cares?” The general’s daughter spat back. “If they have issues with it, they can deal with it.”
”I like your vigor, Katania”, Gladius complimented, Marina nodding in agreement behind him. “Stand your ground, be who you want to be.”
”Well, this’ll be a lot different to what I’m used to…” Betty mumbled as she put on her dress, which matched the colours of her Galactic Guardian uniform. “I just hope there isn’t anything dangerous here, because I will defend us if something is off.”
”Don’t worry, Betty, we’ll be fine”, Caleb reassured. “Plus, whatever happens, we’ll basically be a walking army.”
”Beside, Chief!” Sparky said as Zig helped him put on a fake mustache. “No one would want to take you on when you’ve beaten supervillains so many times you’d be rich if people paid ya’!”
”Weird analogy, but sure…” Betty finished adjusting her dress, and moved to help Sparky, freeing up zig to get his disguise all set up. Bernie was tagging along with him, deciding to be the top part of the hyena’s hat. That way both of them could stick together.
It was Zig’s idea, because after the crash he was a bit spooked about losing his adoptive brother.
When everyone was disguised and Gladius was hidden under the boy’s poncho, the group faced those remaining.
”Alright, we’re gonna head out and see what we can find”, Caleb said. “X-5, get as much fixed up as you can. When we get back, you’ll get the help you need.”
The robot nodded and headed towards the access ramp, while the transformers and shark waved goodbye and kept watch over the camp from hungry jungle predators.
As the group walked down a very vague and almost invisible trail through the thicket, they started to hear something. It sounded like crowds of chatting people, and… Music? As a pit slowly formed in the boy’s stomach the closer they got, they started to smell various foods and flowers.
Stopping just before the end of the jungle, the group hesitated, then peeked around the plantlife. Squinting under the warm Columbian sunlight, they soon all gasped at the sight before them.
It was a flourishing town, painted with various colours and complete with buildings of various sizes. There was a church, multi pole market stalls, a center square with a. Fountain, and a river not too far off. But the most striking detail was a house at the opposite end atop a hill, looking massive, extravagant…
And immediately familiar to the Capital trio.
”We’re in Encanto…” Caleb groaned, releasing the plants and walking back a bit. Katania frowned in concern, fiddling with her hands, while the others watched in confusion as the boy muttered.
”What’s his problem?” Sparky asked.
Katania gulped. “Encanto was the movie we just watched with our family before we got sent on this crazy journey…”
Betty and Marina winced. “So… Is this bringing up bad memories with that?” The Galactic Guardian asked.
”No”, Caleb said in an exhausted tone, his back still facing the others. “It was the movie itself. It’s about a magical family, the Madrigals, who all have gifts but are cracking under the pressure and expectations. And one of them, Mirabel, didn’t get a gist and tried to help her family. It just… struck a chord with me…”
Katania dashed over and hugged her friend, Gladius following suit under the poncho, while the others all shared sad looks.
Marina walked up, her dress just barely grazing the grass, and knelt down. She said whatever reassuring things she could, and that did seem to calm Caleb down enough for him to rub his eyes and flash her a smile. “Thanks.”
”So should we stay at camp then?” Sparky asked. “Because I don’t want this place hurting you in any way.”
”I’ll be fine”, the boy continued. “And we need supplies, so regardless we needed to do this. and I want to move around, staying locked down at camp just isn’t my thing. I need action.”
”So to the Encanto it is!” Katania said triumphantly. “Since this is our first day, we’ll stick together just to see what this place has, then over the week we can explore on our own.”
”I will say this place is safe”, Gladius whispered. “This whole place was created when the grandmother of the Madrigals, Alma, lost her husband to raiders. A miracle was born from her pain, and created this secluded and protected paradise.”
”So no bad guys?” Sparky asked. “That’s cool. A nice vacation under the sun is just what I need.”
”Just try to stay focused”, Betty chided him as he stepped out of the jungle and towards the town. The pilot followed right behind after tripping a bit on a root, with Mariana, Zig and Bernie, and the Capital trio after.
As they walked onto the main street, they were thankful that none of the residents of this paradise seemed at all suspicious, either ignoring the group or politely waving. There were waves back, but at one point Zig stopped when he saw something catch his eye. The others stopped and looked at what had peaked his interest.
It was a mural painted on the side of a building, depicting a group of various identities.
”These are the Madrigals”, Caleb explained as he gestured at the mural. “That family I told you guys about.”
”Alma’s the woman in the mahogany dress, right?” Betty asked.
Caleb nodded. “That’s Alma, and then you have her triplet kids”, he pointed at the woman with grey hair and a blue dress who was stirring a bowl, a man in a green poncho with glowing green eyes, and woman in a yellow dress with orange hair with a cloud above her, “and then all her grandkids.”
”Big family”, Sparky said. “And they all live in that house?” He pointed at the building at the top of the hill.
”Yeah, and it’s because it’s a magical house. It's alive, and those who got gifts get special rooms. Think of them like pocket dimensions.”
Marina pursed her lips, not liking how Caleb said ‘those who got gifts’. She looked at the mural again, and pointed at a girl with green glasses.
’Yeah, that’s Mirabel…” Katania whispered. “But let’s stop worrying about that. We need to see what this place has for supplies.”
Kat pulled Caleb and Marina away from the mural, the others following close as they moved to what looked to be a market of some kind. There was thankfully plenty of food, both fresh fruits and veggies and prepared stuff. So while Kat worked her bargaining magic, Caleb looked over the square they were in.
”Hey, Caleb, it’s one of the ladies from the mural”, Betty mumbled, nodding her head at the blue dress woman with grey hair. She was standing next to a stand of her own, and was tending to a line of people.
”That’s Julieta”, the boy whispered. “Mirabel’s mom. Her gift is healing food.”
Zig grew a thoughtful look, stroking his chin as thoughts bounced around in his head about the possibilities food like that could do for a pain magnet like him. But then he shook his head, and turned his attention to the other stands. One with various meats piqued his interest, so he headed over.
Caleb smiled and rolled his eyes, and continued to spy around the square. But he stopped, his smile melting off his face, when he locked eyes with someone. Across the way, not far from Julieta’s stand, was Mirabel. She was looking at the boy in curiosity, her curled hair bouncing around.
Trying to act discreetly, Caleb turned around and led his friends to some other stands, but Mirabel kept staring. Eventually, she started to walk closer, making Caleb sigh.
Betty glanced over, and looked back with equal confusion.
Soon, the girl with the colour dress finally reached them. Her big and bright eyes hid behind green rimmed glasses, and she wore a white blouse with black trim, blue dress and purple slip on shoes. What really made her stand out, though, was that embroidery decorated her blouse and dress, making her seem like a walking art piece.
”Hola!” She greeted. She showed Caleb, Betty and Sparky a warm smile. “Sorry if my staring made you uncomfortable at all…”
The boy turned around and smiled in return but it was a bit subdued. “All good. I guess we are just an interesting bunch, huh?”
”Well, that, and… I don’t recognize any of you. Are you new to the Encanto?”
”We’re travellers”, Betty said happily.
Mirabel gasped. “Like my Papa! Are you from Bogota too?”
”Other places”, Caleb said. “I’m Caleb, by the way. And this is Betty and Sparky. My other friends are around… Katania is the one with brown hair buying stuff, Marina is the tall one with her, and Zig is… around somewhere…”
”Okay, I’ll make sure to remember that…” The bespectacled girl glanced at the boy. “Are you guys staying at someone’s home?” She gasped. “Or are you just homeless?!”
”No no no! We’ve got a camp out of town”, Caleb reassured her, a bit frantically. “So we’re fine.”
”Oh, good…” Mirabel let out a relieved breath. “I’m Mirabel Madrigal, by the way. It’s wonderful to have you in the Encanto, I hope you feel at home here.”
“We will, thanks.” Caleb smiled as Mirabel nodded and ran off, heading to Julieta’s stand. Caleb let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding as Kat, Marina and Zig joined back up with them.
“I see you’ve met Mirabel…” The general’s daughter whispered, holding the bags of supplies she bought. “You okay?”
”I’m worried for her… But maybe we can… change things…” He said with a thoughtful tone. “I never liked how fast the reconciliation was…”
”Maybe…”The group started to walk back towards camp when Mirabel came running up again. The group watched as she knelt down to catch her breath, then sprung back up to smile at them.
”Hola again, sorry”, she started. “ I just realised you must not know your way around the Encanto. Well, I’ll happily show you guys around.”
The group all shared looks. “You guys go ahead”, Betty said. “Sparky and I can take the stuff back to camp.”
”Okay, we’ll meet you guys later”, Caleb said with a nod as Katania gave them all that she bought. As the two Galactic Guardians left, the others all followed the Madrigal.
As they walked, Mirabel rambled off about all they saw in the town, and little events she could remember happening at it. The group listened closely, laughed at any of the jokes she told, and occasionally even ran into other members of her family. But she said she’d save explaining them at the mural.
Which just so happened to be the next stop.
”Alright, Mirabel”, Katania said with a gentle smile. “Tell us about your family.”
”So, first you have my Abuela, Alma Madrigal”, Mirabel gestured to the woman at the top middle of the group. “She gave life to our miracle and the Encanto when my Abuelo Pedro Madrigal sacrificed himself to save her. Since then, she’s led the community and our family.
”Next is my Mama”, she gestured to Julieta, “She’s the best mama in the world, and she can heal anything with what she cooks. Which helps because my Papa Augustin”, she gestured to the man on the mural next to her mother, “Is allergic to bees, and a bit clumsy.”
Zig nodded in understanding, thumping a fist on his chest. Mirabel gave him a smile, but the rest of her expression showed her confusion. Caleb simply gestured her to continue, and she did.
”Next is my Tia Pepa”, she pointed out the woman with fiery orange hair, “she can control the weather with her emotions. And my Tio Felix”, she gestured to the dark skinned man next to Pepe, sporting a wide smile, “Is always there to cheer her up.
”Next is us grandkids! You know me, so next are my Hermanas Isabela and Luisa.” she gestured to the two women next to her on the mural. “Luisa is so strong she lifts the whole church on the regular, and Isabela…” There was a lull, and Mirabel’s smile fell As she scoffed. “She thinks she’s so perfect because she can make flowers out of thin air. She’s being courted by Mariano, so if you want to try and court her, Caleb, don’t bother.”
Caleb sputtered in shock, but the Madrigal continued before he could say anything.
”Next is my Prima Dolores!” She pointed at the woman with a big red bow and match dress. “She can hear a pin drop, and I bet she’s hearing us right now! As for my Primo Camillo”, she pointed at the boy around her age wearing a yellow poncho and sporting a sly grin, “He can shapeshift, so if you see a friend acting strange, it’s him! And my little primo Antonio”, she pointed at the little boy who looked almost like an exact copy of Felix, “Gets his gift in a few days. What will it be, we won’t know till the gift ceremony on his birthday!”
Mirabel posed proudly before the group, smiling wide. “And that’s mi familia!”
Marina waved her hands around, getting the girl’s attention. The mermaid pointed at the man Mirabel skipped, the one with the green poncho.
The girl winced. “That’s my Tio… Bruno…” She whispered the name so quietly it was like she didn’t say anything. ”We’re not allowed to talk about him… He left, and tia and abuela get upset if you do…”
Marina and Zig shared a horrified look, with Bernie even peeking an eye out in shock. Mirabel just barely caught the eye before it was hidden again, and she shook her head thinking it was just a trick of her vision.
Caleb pursed his lips, then smiled. ”Well, Mirabel”, he said. “Your family sounds wonderful. But we should get back to our camp and make sure Betty and Sparky got back safe. I do hope we can see each other again!”
”Oh definitely!” She said back happily. “I have stuff to do anyway… So I’ll see you guys later!” She ran off waving, the group returning with waves of their own.
”Alright, back to camp gang.” Caleb led the group back down the main road, but as they walked, they missed Dolores watching them from afar. She had a puzzled look on her face, mild concern welling up in her at how she just… didn’t hear these strangers.
She just quietly scurried off with a squeak, deciding that stress wasn’t going to help Antonio’s ceremony.
But she would need to corner Mirabel at some point and question her.
~X~
Caleb (with Gladius still under his poncho) and Kat were sitting at a bench, munching on some bananas as they watched the people of the Encanto going about their day. They had come back after checking the camp, and seeing that things were moving smoothly, decided to leave their repair crew there to get it done as fast as possible.
As they sat on the bench, Kat looked at Caleb in shock. “You want to ask Mirabel to come with us?!” She hissed. “But… Her family would kill us!”
”Not now, obviously”, Caleb countered. “Later, after she connects to us more. I just… we know what happens, and just so things are better, we should try and connect more so she can be happier.”
Katania pursed her lips, but before she could speak Gladius shifted. “If it means anything, Katania”, the sword whispered. “I can sense something… wrong. I can’t put my wing on it, but something about the magic in this place feels… weak.”
Caleb and Katania shared a look, and despite knowing what happens in this story, hearing that just made their minds fill with unease.
“So if that doesn’t convince you”, the boy finished. “I don’t know what will...”
The trio fell silent as they returned to what they were doing originally, soaking in the warm sunlight. At some point, Caleb caught a blur of blue out of the corner of his eye, and jumped when Mirabel suddenly appeared next to him.
”Mirabel, jeez…” The boy let out a breath. “Don’t sneak up on a guy like that!”
”Sorry!” She said apologetically. “I just saw you guys sitting here and was wondering if… I could join you?”
Katania smiled as Caleb shifted over. “Of course you can!”
The Madrigal smiled and sat next to the boy, letting out a sigh. The other two looked at her with slight frowns, catching the affliction of that sigh.
”Everything okay Mira?” Caleb asked.
The girl shrugged. “It’s as good as it’s ever been.” She looked at the other two, and was surprised by their concerned looks. “Oh… Well… Isabela and Abuela just said some nasty things to me, but I’m fine! They just were stressed because Antonio’s ceremony is soon, and they don’t want anything bad happening…”
”So… They take it out on you?” Caleb asked.
”I mean, my ceremony was the last one… And no one really liked how bad it got…”
”That’s no reason for them to treat you like garbage, Mirabel”, Katania said in disdain. “It wasn’t your fault.”
Mirabel opened her mouth, then closed it, then spoke. “I guess… Look, I’d rather not talk about it. Everything is very… messy right now. So let’s just focus on the good. Like you guys enjoying the Encanto!” She gave them an excited look. “How is it so far?”
”It’s wonderful!” Caleb said with a beaming smile. “A lot different than the other places on our stop, especially with how lively it is.”
”That’s great!” Mirabel’s smile faltered for a split second. “Hey, listen… would you guys be okay if I hung out with you while you're here? I don’t want to intrude or anything…”
”Of course you can!” Kat responded in a bubbly tone. “You greeted us so warmly, and it’s not like us to just leave a new friend hanging.”
The Madrigal’s eyes widened slightly. “R-Really? You already consider me a friend?”
”We’re friendly people”, Caleb said with a smile and shrug. “And plus, you’re fun to be around. Reminds me a lot of a younger me.”
Kat’s smile fell As he looked at the boy, but Mira didn’t catch on and just grinned.
”Well, in that case, how about I give you a more personal tour of our home”, she offered. “I wasn’t the best with the one earlier, mostly because I was supposed to be helping my Mama at her stand, but now I’m free to do anything I want!”
The two capital residents shared a look, then looked back at the girl with smiles. “Then lead the way, Mirabel!”
”Alright!” They all stood up, and Mirabel gave a more thorough tour of her home. She led the duo down roads and pointed out shops that she visited frequently, including spots she liked to just relax at on her own. She showed them the farms, where her Tia Pepa and Tio Felix were currently at, and the square where Isabela was showing off for the town, Alma not too far away.
The trio stood off to the side, watching the scene with no positive emotion. When Isabela did a twirl, sparking applause from the gathered crowd, Mirabel scoffed and stormed off, making the other two chase after her.
”You really don’t like your sister, huh?” Caleb asked.
“No. She’s ‘La Senorita Perfecta’, just some stuck up princess who does nothing, gets everything. She’s so perfect that me being even a bit close to her makes everyone hate me more.” She sighed, her crossed arms becoming tighter. “Maybe if I’m lucky, everyone will just ignore me.”
Katania held Mirabel’s hand. “That’s not okay, Mira. Family should stick together, and if your sister is acting like that you need to talk about it.”
”And what will that do? If I tell Mama, she’ll get mad at Abuela, and then Abuela will get mad at me for ‘ruining things’.” The Madrigal sighed miserably. “It’s best I just…” She trailed off and fell silent, making Caleb bump her reassuringly.
”How about this…” He began. “You finish up giving the tour, and then you can take us to a quiet place so we can tell you more about ourselves. Does that sound good?”
Mirabel sniffled and nodded, giving her new friends a smile. So, with some freshly regained vigor, she continued the tour. The trio passed by Luisa, who was carrying a stack of donkeys like it was nothing, and Camilo, who had shifted into another woman to watch their child for them.
Caleb and Kat shared an uneasy look, with Gladius quietly growling under the poncho. Mirabel didn’t catch any of that, simply bringing her friends up the main hill towards her home.
”And this is Casita!” Mirabel announced proudly. Caleb and Kat looked up as some of the tiles clattered as a sort of greeting. “Casita, these are some new friends, Caleb and Katania.”
”It’s nice to meet you, Casita”, Caleb said with a smile and bow.
”I hope you treat Mirabel well”, Katania said.
The house opened her front doors indignantly, but was obviously playing along with the joke.
”Casita was born from the miracle, and is the heart of the Encanto”, the Madrigal explained. “And she’s also where the candle rests…” Pointing up, the duo followed and saw, beyond the wall was an open window, where a candle that glowed with a brilliant orange light rested. “Abuela is the keeper of the candle, and makes sure nothing bad happens to it.”
“That’s cute”, Caleb said, sharing a somewhat annoyed look with Katania.
”But yeah… That’s everything I really can show you guys. I’ll give your other friends this tour some other time, but for now I want to hear more about you! Adios, Casita!”
As the trio left, waving goodbye to the house, she waved back by shifting her tiles rhythmically. The Madrigal led her friends away from town to a somewhat quiet and soothing spot. It was on a small hill, overlooking the whole town.
”I like to come here when I’m just… down”, Mirabel said. “Sometimes I just need some alone time.”
”I get that”, Caleb said. “Me and Kat live in a massive castle, and with the massive courtyard it has, we have a lot of nice spots.”
Mirabel perked up. “You live in a castle?! How… why are you here then?”
“It was an accidental thing”, Katania elaborated, just barely Caleb’s poncho shift as Gladius moved around under. “It’s a complicated story.”
”Oh. I get it, it must be hard… Being away from home…” The bespectacled girl looked up at the distant mountains. “I’ve always wanted to see what’s beyond the mountains. I know we can’t talk about him, but I just feel like Tio Bruno is somewhere beyond those mountains, seeing what the world has to hold…”
Caleb and Kat shared a look. “Mira… I want to ask you something.” Caleb began. “Can you keep a secret?”
”I can… why?”
”I’m going to show you someone who’s been with us, and he can explain so much more. Just promise me you won’t tell anyone else, okay?” The girl nodded, curiosity painting her face. “Alright… Gladius, you ready to come out?”
On cue, the sword flew out and stretched his wings out, hovering above the trio. Mirabel jumped back a bit, but then relaxed and looked at the blade in awe.
He hovered down and bowed. “Greetings, Miss Madrigal. I am Gladius, Cale and Katania’s friend and protector.”
”O-Oh…” She said in surprise. “I thought you… I didn’t think you had a living sword…” She looked at her reflection of the blade. “I thought the Encanto was the only place that had magic…”
”Magic exists everywhere in plenty of forms, Mira!” Katania said with a beaming smile. “Gladius is kinda… a centre to it all.”
”I have lived for thousands of years”, the sword said proudly. “but was trapped in a rock until this fine young man freed me.”
”So… How did you even get here?” Mirabel asked.
“Gladius can open portals when we sync up”, Caleb explained. “After a big event with our family, I accidentally opened one that sucked us in. So we’ve been traveling across whole worlds to get back.”
Mirabel blinked, then looked down. “That does explain how you guys just showed up out of nowhere…”
”Taking it a lot better than I thought…” Caleb said in slight surprise.
”I live in a living house where my family gets a magical gift at five”, Mirabel said, shooting her friend a flat look. “I’m used to weird.”
“Touché”, Kat said with a giggle. “I guess we’re all used to weird so much stuff just doesn’t phase us.”
”It also explains why you guys were so calm about the gifts and Casita. Mama told me that when Papa first came to the Encanto, he fainted when he saw Casita move, and was terrified to go near Tia Pepa for a few months.”
Caleb and Katania burst out laughing, while Gladius snorted. “I can understand his perspective.”
Mirabel looked up at Gladius with a smile, before suddenly looking terrified. “Oh no, Dolores! She can hear you-”
”No she can’t Mira”, the sword reassured. “I can suppress noise naturally, so she hasn’t been able to hear us at all.”
”You… can really do that?”
”There’s a lot he can do that we don’t know about yet”, Caleb said bluntly while crossing his arms. “It’s a work in progress.”
Mirabel blinked, then smiled. “You guys are cool. I’m glad you came too, because with my Primo’s ceremony so close, things are really stressful.”
”Don’t worry, Mira”, Katania said with a reassuring smile. “We’ve got your back.”
Mirabel smiled, then stood up. “C’mon, I know a nice ice cream stand I just know you guys will like.”
Caleb beamed and shot up, racing down the hill at rapid speed. But he stopped suddenly at a point when pain shot through his leg, and he gripped his ankle.
”Caleb!” Kat ran over and knelt down, looking over his injury.
”How did that happen?” Mirabel asked in concern when she caught up to them.
”When we arrived at Zig and Marina’s world…” Gladius explained as he hid back under Caleb’s poncho. “We had a brutal crash landing where… I accidentally cut Caleb. He’s been fine for a while, but I suppose the pain finally caught up to him.”
”I just stumbled on a rock…” The boy hissed in pain. “I’ll be okay.”
”No, you aren’t”, Mirabel said defiantly. “Kat, you get him to a bench, I’m going to my Mama’s stand to get an arepa. That’ll fix you right up!” She dashed off before Caleb could argue more, so with a defeated sigh he let Katania help back up and led him to the nearest bench.
Almost as soon as they sat down, Mirabel ran back over with the soft looking arepa in hand. She handed it to the boy, who sighed and took a bite. He winced a bit when he felt the injury heal unnaturally, his skin mending and pain subsiding. But just as quick as it started, it stopped.
The boy sighed, then gave his friend a smile. “Thanks Mira… I needed that.”
”Don’t mention it”, she sat down next to him. “But it’s all my Mama’s magic. If it wasn’t for her, everyone in the Encanto would be bedridden.”
”She’s saved this place a lot from stuff, huh?” Kat asked.
”Yeah… But I sometimes worry she’s pushing herself too much. She’s either at her stand, or in the kitchen at Casita…”
Caleb pursed his lips. “I’m picking up more and more problems going on in your family…”
Mirabel quietly cursed to herself. “Don’t start spreading that around. If Abuela found out someone was saying that, she’d call them ‘rumours’ and try to find the culprit.”
”Our lips are sealed, Mira”, Gladius whispered under his companion’s poncho. “Because, I’ll be honest, I don’t trust your family to have your back.”
”Papa, Mama and Antonio always will…” Mirabel said sadly. She sighed and stood up, flashing Katania a smile. “Let’s go and get that ice cream I promised.”
”Yeah. I say we earned it!” Kat followed the younger girl swiftly, leaving Caleb and still hidden Gladius on the bench.
”DO you really think things will be okay, Caleb?” Gladius asked quietly.
”Yeah… Because one thing that this family needs is a new perspective on things. At least, I hope so…”
~X~
Over the course of the week, Caleb, Katania and Gladius hung out with Mirabel as much as they all could, with Betty, Sparky, Zig and Marina all tagging along every now and then. The Madrigal was obviously in need of the company, based on how much she did seem genuinely grateful.
Slowly, the bespectacled girl would open up more and more about all her personal troubles, with how she felt left out and almost isolated from her family so often.
When Marina especially heard Antonio was dumped onto her when she was ten, the mermaid went into a flying rage, screaming and cursing Madrigal's negligence.
Soon enough, though, Mirabel was able to visit the camp that she heard so much about. Despite being terrified by Sharko, Ransack and Crumplezone initially, soon she warmed up to all of them.
Learning about other worlds also was something she found herself endlessly enthralled in, and it made Caleb catch a certain kind of glint in her eye. But he didn’t press as the obvious pressure about Antonio’s approaching gift slowly started to make her more obviously strained.
So on the night just before her Primo’s big day, Mirabel and Caleb sat on a tree branch looking over the whole Encanto, nighttime sky as beautiful as ever.
”I’m just scared, Caleb…” The Madrigal confided. “I always had a feeling Anontio was here just to make up for my ceremony, and try and prove nothing is wrong with the miracle. And people keep reminding me of it, so… yeah, I’m just a bit messed up.”
Caleb hummed and pulled her into a one armed hug. “Well, I know that whatever they say is wrong. But if it makes you feel better, we can tag along for the ceremony and give you some support.”
”I was going to ask that”, the girl shot him a smile. “You’re good at reading people, huh?”
”When you’ve been in my place, you pick up on even the slightest of things.”
Mira giggled, then sighed. “Well, I should get back to Casita. Dinner should be starting soon, and I can’t be late.”
”Alright. Stay safe, Mira.”
The girl nodded and climbed down the tree with ease, and ran off. Caleb watched as she sprinted into town, relaxing his nerves just a bit. Tomorrow was the big day, and with things potentially going how he thought, he knew it was now or never.
Time to change history…
~X~
Yep, the next arc is Encanto, somewhat teased at the beginning of this fic. It’s a fav of mine, and I feel how Mirabel is in the story works well with my sona’s own struggles and past, making it a kinda obvious world to include. It was fun to write this chapter, and even if there wasn’t a lot of the other family, there will be a lot more in the next chapters.
Also, we’re officially a fourth through the story!!! 20 out of 80 full chapters are finished, and that just floors me so fucking much. Like… How? How have I gone from nothing to this in a little over 3 years? This series means so much to me, and seeing all the love it gets just makes me feel even more complete. God, thank you all.
Anyway, expect a lot of new to this movie added in the next few chapters! This isn’t gonna be a typical rewrite…
OH! And, I want to give a special thanks to my friend Dagur. He’s such a creative and chill guy, and his support has helped me through a lot. Love you dude! Go check out his work @ DelightfullyDerangedDagur on here. He needs more support!
Love you all, and be sure to leave a comment! And join my art collab if you can!
Up next: The gang all go to the ceremony, but after seeing something terrible, Gladius teams up with Mirabel to uncover why…
~Kat~
Chapter 21: How Do I Save A Miracle?
Summary:
Feinting innocence, Caleb, Katania and Gladius along with a few of the others tag along with Mirabel for her primo’s ceremony. But when the cracks reveal themselves to them, Mirabel wants to see how she can fix things.
But Gladius says otherwise…
Chapter Text
As the sun started rising above the mountain line, Caleb cracked an eye open. The inside of his tent was basked in an orange glow which didn’t seem to disturb his fellow tent mates, so with a yawn and a stretch the boy sat up. Looking to his right then down, he saw a still sleeping Gladius snuggled in his sheath.
The boy smiled then stretched again, carefully leaving the tent without waking anyone else. Stepping out into the early morning Encanto air, he took a deep breath, a beaming smile growing on his face. He opened his eyes, and watched as X-5 looked over the ship.
The robot glanced over, and waved. “Good morning, Caleb. I presume you rested well?”
The boy nodded as he walked towards him. “Yep. It was a bit weird because Zig kept kicking me, but otherwise it was fine.”He glanced at the ship. “What’s the status on the ship, by the way?”
”Repairs are moving along as I predicted.” X-5 looked over some papers he had in his claws. “Most systems are back online, the only issues are the engines. As we focused on getting the electrical fixed, new issues with the fuel connections to the engines were discovered. So we’ll need a day or two to fully fix it.”
”Hey, as long as you guys work together and get this done as soon as possible, then we’re good.” Caleb walked off towards where they had the logs set up around their fire pit. He sat down, and leaned back a bit, his smile aimed right up at the sky.
As he remained there and relaxed, he felt a presence beside him. Glancing over, he saw Betty, who was covered in some oil and looked a bit frazzled.
”Whew!” She sighed as she leaned forward. “Okay, I knew this would be tricky, but I need this ship fixed now so I can get a break…”
“Well, you can take a break today if you need to…” Caleb said.
”Yeah, I’ll make sure to get ready for the ceremony later.” She looked towards where the town was. “I just hope we don’t drag in attention.”
”Unless Zig’s semi-bad luck kicks in while we’re out and about, then we’ll be fine.”
The duo fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying each other’s company. Over the next two hours, the others all started to wake up and come out of their tents, and began to get ready for the day. Because it was the big ceremony Mirabel had been dreading, the whole party who went out on the first day decided they’ll go to support their friend.
Caleb headed into the ship to get washed up after X-5 gave the okay. He quickly entered the ship’s shower, and let out a relaxed hum as the water beat against his body. Just outside, he caught a glimpse of Gladius’ silhouette.
”So, are you ready for the ceremony?” The sword asked.
”After this shower I will be…” The boy trailed off. “But I’m still worried. Seeing this whole thing from a new perspective, actually having met Mirabel before it… It makes me feel like we should just try and kidnap her.”
”You know that won’t solve anything, Caleb”, the blade chided. “We need to show her what is truly wrong. Show her the bigger picture.”
”I know, I know…” The boy sighed and shook his head, splashing water around. “I’m just worried how she’ll react…”
”To what exactly?”
”I… I honestly don’t know…” Caleb turned the shower off and stepped out, getting dried off. Out of respect, Gladius turned around. “But there’s this gut feeling in me that’s telling me something, but won’t specify what. It sucks.”
”Just focus on helping her”, the sword said in a reassuring tone. “She’ll make her own choices, but we know she’ll do what to make her happy.”
“Yeah…” When he was fully dried off and dressed, Caleb left the bathroom and headed back outside. Everyone else was already ready, and chatting while in their disguises. Zig glanced over, and smiled as the boy walked over, the sword hiding under his poncho.
“You guys ready to get going?” Caleb asked with a beaming smile.
”You know it,CC!” Kat said in a jovial tone. “I want to see this Madrigal hospitality first hand!”
Marina wanted to see what the hubbub was about the inside of the magic house, while Zig was set on trying the buffet. Bernie just sighed, then said and wanted to see the rest of Mirabel’s family in action.
”I’m with Zig”, Sparky said in excitement, making the pilot and hyena share a high five.
Betty rolled her eyes, then gave Caleb a smile. “I want to get a pure taste of Colombian culture. Could be useful back home, you never know.”
”Yeah, a Disney-ified version of it…” Caleb mumbled much too quietly for anyone to hear, then shook his head and beamed. “Yeah! But remember the biggest reason why we’re doing this: To help Mirabel through this trying and difficult time. So don’t make a scene.”
Everyone nodded, and after saying goodbye to those staying at the camp, they were off. There was this sense of music and excitement in the air, which only grew as the group neared the town. Marina and Sparky found themselves bopping along to the beat, and Caleb fought back a laugh.
Upon entering the town proper, that feeling was only multiplied tenfold. People were out and about, talking excitedly about the upcoming gift ceremony; banners and lights were being hung up across the street and from houses; and the flowers bloomed brighter as a very regal Isabela walked by.
Finally being this close to her, Caleb got a good look at her appearance. She was wearing a very elegant lavender dress, and her hair was straight and proper. Her expression was calm, with her acting like a princess with how she walked and waved at people.
”I can see what Mirabel means…” Sparky whispered as they walked away from her. “She’s weird! I’ve never seen anyone look that… Happy before…”
”She seemed more demanding”, Betty whispered, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. “I could see that look in her eyes. It reminds me of Penelope…” She shivered.
Marina hummed sadly, but then gasped in delight as she saw some amazing dresses being sold in a store. Taking Katania and Betty by the hands, smile wide and eyes literally sparkling, she dragged them inside.
Caleb snorted, opening his mouth to talk to the other guys… Only to look around when he noticed they had vanished. At the sound of a familiar hyena laugh, he looked over to see the two guys licking their lips as they snagged some confections from a nearby food stand.
The boy rolled his eyes with a smile, and continued along his way. as he walked and took in the sights of the celebratory town, he caught sight of Mirabel. She was leading a group of kids around, singing about her family in such a warm and gentle way.
She was singing about Bruno before everyone in the town, simultaneously, said “We don’t talk about Bruno!” Caleb jumped at the sudden exclamation, but Mirabel only briefly paused in surprise before continuing along like nothing was wrong.
The boy smiled and followed along, joining the group as the kids adorably listened with all their attention. One kid looked a bit… jittery… so Caleb made note to keep his distance from him. But otherwise, the song was going smoothly, with the bespectacled girl starting to sing about her mom at that point.
Out of the corner of his eye, Caleb caught sight of Zig, so looked over just the slightest bit at him. The hyena was licking some ice cream, sniffing a lovely looking bed of flowers. But he snipped in pain when a bee stung him on the nose. Bernie squished it and ate it, making the two island brothers giggle. But the mood shifted when, suddenly, a massive swarm of bees emerged from the flowers.
Zig looked up at it in terror, dropped his ice cream, then booked it. The swarm gave chase, buzzing like a race car engine.
Caleb jumped up in terror, and chased after his friends, hoping to run into the others soon.
Mirabel was none the wiser to this, so sucked into her song she didn’t know her friends were sucked into World War Bee. But when she watered to sing about her sisters, getting a bit of a reprieve from praising Isabela (with some slight bitterness in her tone”, Zig ran past behind her, screaming his lungs out as the swarm, now shaped like a cartoony hammer, kept chasing him. The others were close behind, which made Mirabel look over in worry.
But she didn’t break her song, simply trying to lead the kids away. There was a crash, and her friends came barreling out from an alleyway, crying out as the swarm chased them all, now shaped like a massive hawk.
Many of the residents were watching the bizarre scene in complete confusion, never knowing bees could be this coordinated. But they didn’t see it as that bad, despite the fact the group of friends were terrified out of their mind.
As Mirabel tried to shake the kids off by finishing her song, but failing as they kept asking her what her gift was, she watched as her friends kept getting chased by the bees. Her whole song brought her up to the front of her home, where Alma yelled out her name.
”What are you doing?” The matriarch asked, a dumbfounded look on her face.
Mirabel’s expression became a bit tense. “They were just asking about the family…”
”She was about to tell us about her super awesome gift!!!” One of the kids shouted, pointing at her.
”Oh…” Dolores said, suddenly appearing from around the doorframe. “Mirabel didn’t get one.” She let out an innocent squeak and darted off, with Alma walking off on her own shortly after.
All of the kids looked at Mirabel, but before anything could be said Caleb and the others came barreling up the hill. The swarm was not giving up, and only seemed to be getting madder by the second.
As Caleb’s eyes locked with Mirabel’s for a second, he got an idea. “DUCK!” He barked out.
All of his friends ducked and the swarm flew right over them. Except Zig, who didn’t catch the memo. He looked behind him at his friends, and was about to copy them…
If he hadn’t immediately slammed into a tree, painfully.
Everyone present winced as the disguised hyena fell to the ground. He sat up, nursing his sore head, only for a durian to crash on his head. Again everyone winced as he collapsed onto his back.
When he opened his eyes, Zig saw the swarm swirling above him. He and Bernie then watched as the swarm turned into a massive fist, and they braced.
The following punch shook the whole earth.
Everyone was closing their eyes, and when they dared open them, they all balked at how the hyena and disguised mollusk was stuffed into a crater. He let out a strained, pained noise, arms twitching, looking like a crushed bug.
Caleb stood up, watching as Marina and Sparky ran over to help him with wide eyes. Mirabel and Kat walked up next to him, watching the scene silently.
”Is he going to be okay?” The Madrigal whispered. “Because based on what happens to my Papa… I wouldn’t be surprised he’s dead…”
”Zig will be fine…” Kat droned out as she watched the squished Zig limp over to them looking like a bunched up blanket, Bernie somehow still in his place on the hat, just as flat as his brother. “They both will be…”
The kids dispersed as Mirabel watched Zig shake himself, correcting everything and not offsetting his disguise at all. Bernie followed suit, and the bespectacled girl was left gobsmacked.
”You’ll get used to it…” Caleb said in exhaustion, patting his friend on the shoulder.
Mirabel was still in her shocked state as Zig walked up to the others, not a scratch on him, until some older man walked up carrying a basket with him.
”Delivery just for you, Mirabel!” The man said. She took it with ease, although did struggle for a bit when she was the only one holding it. “I got you the special, since you’re the only Madrigal kid without a gift. I call it…” He hesitated for a moment. “The ‘Not Special Special’! Since, uh, you have no gift.”
Mirabel gave him a strained smile, while the rest of the group gave him a glare he either didn’t notice or chose to ignore. “Thanks”, was all Mirabel got out.
The man started to walk off, before coming back. “Oh! And tell Antonio good luck. The last gift ceremony was a bummer. The last one being yours-”
”Thank you sir”, Katania said, a very aggressive smile on her face. “You should go and help with setting up. I’m sure Alma needs it.”
”Oh, yes, thank you for reminding me!” The man walked off back to his nearby cart, leaving the group to their own devices.
When he was out of ear shot, Marina huffed in anger. “The nerve of him!” Gladius hissed.
”That’s just Osvaldo…” Mirabel said in a calm tone, which did little to hide her hurt. “He can be… oblivious with what he says…”
”Makes him worse, in my eyes”, Betty said, shooting the man a glare as he headed inside Casita. “He needs to be more aware…”
”Guys, it’s fine! I’m fine!” The Madrigal said in a persistent tone. “Now c’mon, I could use some help.” She started to head inside, unaware of the others sharing a look before they followed, all of them giving their new friend a careful look.
~X~
The inside Casita was a sight to behold. It was a small courtyard, with a second balcony floor showing all the glowing golden doors that depicted the family. Zig and Betty jumped back then the tiled floor of Casita parted a bit, a curved staircase forming that led right to a door with no defined look to it.
”That’s Antonio’s door”, Mirabel whispered, Kat pulling her out of the way of some people carrying a bench by. “He’ll walk up those stairs, touch the door‘s knob, and get his gift!”
”What, while the whole town watches?” Sparky asked, eyeing all the people around with suspicion.
”Yeah. It;s called a gift CEREMONY for a reason.” Mirabel continued walking till she came up next to Luisa. Her older sister was wearing a similar blouse, only with a dark blue skirt. Her hair was done up in a bun, and her dense muscular build showed her strength.
When Alma asked Luisa to get the piano upstairs, the rock of the Madrigals dropped the three barrels she was carrying and ran off, nearly hitting Marina and ZIg in the process. The mermaid growled and the hyena simply looked nervous, both of them watching Luisa leave.
As the group entered the centre of the courtyard, a harsh gust of wind hit them head on. Squinting, they watched as Pepa came out, a literal tornado swirling around her, wrecking the decorations.
”My baby’s night has to be perfect”, she rambled frantically. “And it’s not perfect. And people are going to be coming! And nothing’s ready!”
”Your tornado-ing the flowers!” Her husband Felix said, trying to calm, her down. The flowers!”
”Did someone say flowers?” From the balcony above, the group as a whole watched as Isabela came down, using vines as a makeshift swing. Mirabel’s expression read complete contempt as everyone started to clap, with the rest of the group all sharing confused and mildly annoyed looks.
With a flick of her wrist, the flowers all came back brighter than ever, making the warm colour couple to give her a grateful smile. As they thanked her, Caleb huffed and rolled his eyes.
”I see what you mean”, he whispered to Mirabel. “Your sister is a stuck up bitch.” The whole group heard that, and tried not to laugh. Mirabel was torn between laughing and not reacting at all, so she settled on a few snorts before calming down.
Sadly, this meant she was unable to react when Isabela flipped her hair into her face, causing flowers to appear. Mira started coughing up petals, while the others all looked at the scene in shock.
”A little sisterly advice”, Isabela started. “If you weren’t always trying too hard you wouldn’t be in the way.”
”Well excuse you…” Katania whispered, shooting the older girl a harsh glare.
”Actually, Isa, this is called helping”, the bespectacled girl said, following her sister. Isabela just rolled her eyes and walked off. “And I’m not in the way. You are-” She was stopped when she crashed into one of Casita’s pillars.
Zig let out a laugh, pointing at the girl, only to eat a swift kick to the shin courtesy of Marina. The hyena crashed onto the ground in a heap, making Caleb, Katania and Betty all let out disappointed sighs. The boy then went and helped his friend, brushing off all the flower petals that were stuck to it now.
”Just ignore her, Mira”, he said with a head shake. “You are so much better than her because you don’t do that… So just keep your chin up.”
”Okay, okay…” The girl walked off towards the kitchen, leaving the group to wander and explore. Caleb and Kat followed their newest friend, and stood by the doorway as she walked over.
Julieta was hard at work over the stove, seemingly set on making a very special dinner for all the guests. The older woman paused as her daughter swung the basket of goodies around, and then planted it on the floor.
”Mi visa, you okay?” The cook asked. “You don’t have to overdue it.”
Mirabel started to unload all the basket’s contents onto the counter, Casita moving the tiles so they’d be put away properly. “I'm fine, Mamie. Just… Playing my part!” The girl's eyes suddenly lit up. “Oh! And I'd like you to meet my new friends. Caleb, Kat!” She looked over at the duo at the doorway. “This is mi Mamá. Mama, this is Caleb and Kat.”
The duo walked up with warm smiles, which was returned by the older woman. “Mirabel told me about you two. You're travellers?”
“Yes we are, ma'am”, Caleb said with a nod and slight bow. “Our cart is almost repaired, so we'll be out of your hair soon.”
Mirabel's smile faltered a bit, but Julieta just laughed at the boy's jab. “No worries, sir. You've help mi vida out a lot this past week, and I have a soft spot for travellers thanks to my husband…”
“Guilty as charged!” The well dressed man spoke up as he Came up alongside the group, his face swelling from bee stings. Caleb and Kat flinched back with wide-eyes, while Mirabel cringed.
”Bee stings!” She called out, making Julieta look at him.
”Ay Agustin…” She said with an eye roll. She walked over and grabbed a pastry that was in a bowl nearby, and forced it into Augustin’s mouth.
When he swallowed, he gave his daughter a more warm and genuine look. “Just know that you don’t need to try so hard, Miraboo. I know today is hard for you, but remember that your amazing Papa and Tio Felix are just as… un-special as you.”
Mirabel snorted, Julieta smiled at the kinda goofy sentiment, and the Capital duo held in their laughter.
”I know, Papa”, the bespectacled girl said. “But I’m fine, really!” She picked up a little basket of art supplies, and flashed her parents a smile. “Well, I should get going and help. Caleb and Kat, you two want to help me?”
Katania nodded. “Yeah, of course!”
Caleb nodded with a smile, but as the trio moved to leave, Augustin spoke up. “Well… We’d like to talk to you for a moment, sir.”
The boy blinked and nodded, waving to his friends, that he’ll catch up. They gave him reassuring smiles, and headed off elsewhere into the house. When it was just him and the cool colour parents, Caleb faced them.
”So what’s up?” He asked.
”We just wanted to make sure you aren’t untrustworthy”, Julieta said with pursed lips. “Dolores never told us when you and your friends entered our Encanto.”
”We arrived at night”, the boy explained. “Our carriage was damaged and we set up camp out of the town limits. We just wanted to be in and out, so we didn’t want to make a scene. After Mirabel gave us the rundown on her family, I found Dolores and told her not to make our arrival a big deal.”
”Not much of a people person, huh?” Gus said, walking over to the boy and pulling him into a one armed hug. “I get that. When I first came to the Encanto, I was nervous to talk to anyone, especially Juli and her family. But, after a while, I warmed up and here we are!”
Julieta giggled. “Which was good, because if not, you would’ve burned down the Encanto.”
Augustin gave his wife a betrayed look, while Caleb burst out laughing. “Well, we aren’t sticking around regardless. Me and Kat have to get home, and while the Encanto is wonderful, we can’t stick around.”
”Just… Promise us you won’t tell anyone when you do leave”, the cook said in worry.
”Trust me, where we live, the Encanto isn’t something they’d want to look for.” The boy bid the couple farewell, and left the kitchen. The cool coloured couple watched him with different glances, with Julieta giving him a worried look, and Augustin giving him a somewhat silly suspicious look.
The boy weaved past the people helping set up for the ceremony, passing under Betty and Sparky in the process. The Galactic Guardians were on the upper balcony, looking over the courtyard with curious expressions.
”So they’re just going to fill up this whole courtyard with everyone in town…” Sparky began. “And they watch a five year old get some magical power?”
”From what Mirabel said”, Betty said offhandedly. “Exactly that.”
Sparky cringed. “That sounds awful. I’m not a fan of my mamuska sharing my baby photos with anyone, but hearing that makes me realise I got it lucky.”
”I can’t imagine how scared Antonio is…” Betty jumped off the railing, a contemplative and worried look on her face. “I know we shouldn’t do anything that could make the Madrigals mad, but I’m honestly thinking we need to crash the ceremony.”
”We shouldn’t, Betty. Besides!” Sparky pulled out a traditional Colombian dish from hammerspace. “These entrees are delicious!” And anyone who can make good food stays on my good side!”
Betty sighed and grabbed her friend by his shirt collar, dragging him away elsewhere. Marina, who was on the bottom floor, watched them leave. She was hanging out in a corner, silently watching all the work being done to make this ceremony the best possible.
Despite only knowing Mirabel for a week, though, the mermaid was already very protective of Mirabel. Maybe it was seeing herself in the younger girl, maybe it was her motherly instinct kicking in again after so long, maybe it was a combo of the two. But every time the mermaid heard a jab at the previous ceremony, at Mirabel’s giftlessness, or blaming things on her clumsiness, she bristled. Had to hold herself back from screaming like the siren she was and knocking everyone flat on their asses.
She was pulled out of her musings when someone tapped her hip, and she looked down to see a concerned looking Zig gazing up at her. Marina sighed and waved him off, a pout on her face as she mumbled about her issues. The hyena gave her a reassuring smile, and took her hand to hopefully distract her. Unfortunately, the hyena was instead dragged off when the mermaid decided to get away from the noise.
About an hour later, Mirabel and Caleb were on the second floor. The Madrigal decided to set up some elegant fabrics styled after flowers in front of all the doors of her family members, each inscribed with their name and with a candle on them. Katania was busy cleaning up the mess they left in the living room, which left the other two to finish getting everything set up.
As the duo worked, they were completely unaware of an approaching Alma. When Mirabel stood up after finishing, she found herself looking st the framed photos on the wall. Caleb stood up with her, and looked them over with her. But they both jumped back when Alma suddenly shouted “One hour!” right beside them.
Caleb stumbled back, and Mira accidentally knocked over the candle before Alma’s door. She panicked as the fabric was lit, trying to stamp out the flame.
”Maybe…” Alma began, now before the duo. “You should leave the decorating to someone else?”
Caleb bristled a bit, and his gaze became cold as he stared at the older woman. Mira stood up, trying to keep her smile strong.
”Actually, I made these as a surprise for you-” Mirabel held up the still burning fabric, so Caleb quickly took it and licked his fingers to extinguish the flames.
”Mirabel”, Alma continued. “I know you want to help. But tonight must go perfectly.” Caleb’s ears started to ring after hearing that. “The whole town relies on our family, on our gifts. So the best way for some of us to help…
”Is to step aside.”
Mirabel’s smile twisted a bit as her heart clenched, but behind her Caleb was furious. Hearing that again, in person, just made all his rage boil immediately. He kept glaring at Alma, his eyes glinting with the promise for murder, but the matriarch either didn’t notice or just blatantly ignored him.
”Let the rest of the family do what they do best.” She looked at Mirabel with an expectant look, but there was demand in under the surface.
Mirabel made a sound of confirmation, and started to walk off. Caleb dropped his expression and followed her, but the two of them stopped when a cold wind suddenly rushed passed.
”Pepa!” Alma said in distaste. “You have a cloud!”
The two friends looked across the way to see the storm bringing stomping past, looking frustrated as a small cloud hovered just above her.
”I know, Mama!” The warm coloured mother fumed. “But now I can’t find Antonio! What do you want from me?!” Pepa continued to storm off, her cloud rumbling ominously. Alma sighed and walked down to the curved staircase, running to Julieta on the way down.
”I’ll be fine, Caleb…” Mirabel said, walking off to her room, the nursery, with a dower mood.
”But, Mira-” The boy paused when he heard the older two women on the stairs talking, and decided to listen in.
”Mama, be nice to Mirabel, okay?” Julieta said in a disappointed tone. “You know tonight will be hard for her.”
”If the gift ceremony doesn’t go well this time”, Alma countered. “Tonight will be hard for us all.”
Caleb’s rage peaked, and he found himself gripping the balcony railing fiercely. When Casita tapped a tile on his foot to try and calm him down, he simply let go and stormed off, oblivious to the very obvious damage he left behind, and the tiles he ever so slightly cracked under his feet.
~X~
Come night in the Encanto, the town becomes the embodiment of an endless party. Lights were hung from every building, children were running around and playing, people were chatting about their excitement of the event.
And inside Casita’s kitchen, away from the arriving guests, were a group of peeved off friends. Earlier, Caleb had told them what Alma had said to Mirabel, and it made them all furious. Marina needed to be held back before slapping the older woman, while Sparky and Zig looked to be plotting some sort of devious comeback.
Caleb, meanwhile, had his face buried in his hands, looking exhausted. “I want to get her out of here so badly. I seriously do…”
”Have you told her yet?” Katania asked as she rubbed his back reassuringly.
”No! I’ve been super nervous too because she still loves her family. And I don’t want her to feel like we’re kidnapping her…” The boy leaned back in his chair, letting out a very pained groan. “I hate how things can’t just be easy…”
”If it was, then we wouldn’t have met the others”, Gladius said, the sounds of the party being enough so he didn’t need to whisper. “But I do get what you mean.”
“We need to do something”, Betty said sadly. “Regardless of what happens, we know it’ll end badly for her. So what do we do?”
Caleb sighed and sat up, then looked towards the back door. “I’m going to go and check up on her.” With determination flowing through him, he walked out the back door and around to the front of Casita. Heading into the front door, he passed by the warm coloured family (who simply ignored him), and around the left corner to catch Mirabel.
The girl jumped a bit and turned around, wiping her somewhat damp eyes. “Caleb! What… what are you doing here?”
”I came to check up on you, and I had a feeling you’d be here.” He gave her a sad look. “Mira, I know you’re not-”
”Shush! Look, I know you’re worried, but the last thing we need is for some bout of bad luck to make this so much harder for Antonio.”
”But what about you?” Caleb gave her massive concerned eyes.
Before she could speak, there was a quiet but happy exclamation towards the front, and the duo looked around the corner to see Pepa, Felix, Dolores and Camilo all praising the youngest for reaching such a critical milestone of his life. Despite his nervous look, the quick glance he shot at Mirabel did visibly relax him a bit.
Caleb watched Mirabel carefully as she leaned against the wall, a smile that didn’t reach her eyes gracing her face.
”You raised that kid, didn’t you?” He asked quietly.
”I did”, Mirabel responded sadly, her smile not leaving her face. “I was forced to stay in the nursery because I didn’t get a room, so when Antonio was born, I basically became his Mama when Pepa could watch him. When Felix was busy, I was there. When Dolores or Camilo were busy, when Abuela or mama or papa… I was there…”
”And so this is basically the rest of the family taking him back?”
”Yeah…” Mirabel sniffled a bit and took a deep breath.
”This is insane…” Gladius hissed. “Your family is a shame, a disgrace. They are not a family at all, they can’t dump a baby onto a ten year old and expect her to watch him…”
”Gladius!” Caleb hissed back. He then calmed down and gave Mirabel a reassuring look as the warm family left Antonio behind the curtain on his own. “Look, I know this is all awful, but there are ways to make things better, I promise.”
The girl looked at her friend. “Like what?”
Before Caleb could speak, some percussive music started to play beyond the curtain, making the duo fall silent. Caleb barely peeked through the curtain, seeing as Alma, wearing a shawl and holding the candle, turned to the town with a calm expression.
”Fifty years ago”, she began. “In our darkest moment, this candle blessed us with a miracle. And the greatest honor of our family has been to use our blessings to serve this beloved community.”
”It shouldn’t through…” Caleb and Gladius growled simultaneously. Mirabel gave them a look, her clouded expression just barely catching what they meant. But she didn’t press as Alma continued.
”Tonight, we come together once more as another steps into the light to make us proud.”
Mirabel deflated a bit hearing that, but found some reassurance when Caleb put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a concerned look. She blinked a bit, lifted her glasses to wipe her eyes, and sighed, just nodding back.
The music picked back up again as the curtains were suddenly drawn open, revealing a very nervous and shy Antonio to the whole town. Mirabel and Caleb both looked at him, and after a moment, he looked at Mirabel. Silently, as the spotlight shined down on him, he held out his hand to her.
There was a moment of hesitation, but Caleb leaned close to her ear. “He needs you, Mira. Don’t do it for them. Do it for yourself, and him.”
The girl glanced at her friend, before silently walking over and taking the young boy’s hand. As Caleb slipped back more as to not be seen, he heard most of the townspeople gasping or whispering in slight confusion. But he didn’t care. Slipping around, he could catch a few glimpses of his friend holding her head high and doing the right thing, making him even more happy.
Soon, around the back end of the curved stairs, he ran into the rest of his friends, who all greeted him quietly and then went back to watching Mirabel. She looked over for a moment before going up the stairs, and they all smiled and nodded at her. She smiled, and took Antonio up the stairs. They couldn’t see what was happening, but based on how animals came out from everywhere and headed towards where the door was, and Alma’s exclamation of “We have a new gift!” told them enough.
Caleb sighed, a mix of both sadness and relief, as his group followed the crowd into Anontio’s room. It was a section of jungle, with his bed and everything being on top of the canopy of a massive tree. Animals of all kinds swarmed the foliage and open space, making guests step aside and duck.
All of them watched from afar, occasionally glancing at Mirabel in worry as the rest of the family praised the newest gift holder. There was a subtle sadness in her expression and motions.
It all smashed open when Alma said “A gift as special as you.”
Caleb had to reign himself in from lunging at the matriarch in that moment, while Kat held onto Marina’s arm. The group’s hearts stung even more when the matriarch called for a picture, and in almost an unreadable moment they took it… without Mirabel.
The group all gasped in shock and anger, but watched as time seemingly slowed to a crawl. Then, looking over at the one Madrigal that mattered to them, they watched as she started to sing a song. A song about how… she didn’t feel like a part of this family. As her song took her out of the room, the others all followed her, watching her in heartbreak as Mirabel ran onto Casita’s rooftop to cry out in agony. Fireworks erupted in the sky, and Caleb had to stop himself from running back in and lashing his tongue and choice words at the family.
As Mirabel’s song ended, the group all headed down the curved staircase to the centre of the courtyard. There was a moment of silence before Caleb took a step forward.
”Mirabel?”
The girl jumped and turned around quickly, tears pooling in her eyes as she stared back. “You… You guys heard that?”
”Of course we did!” Kat cried out, rushing over and hugging her. “You’re our friend, we always look out for each other, and especially you!”
The Madrigal was still, silence as can be, before she choked out a sob and hugged Kat back. Gladius revealed himself from his hiding spot, and hovered over to the girl, gently holding her cheek with a wing.
”Mirabel”, he began. “You are more than any gift can give. Yes, your family has those silly little powers, but their priorities are in the wrong place.” The bespectacled girl gained a somewhat thoughtful look despite the emotional pain. “They need to be a family, but here they are forgetting you. Disgusting.”
“Which is why… I wanna ask you something.” The group all looked at Caleb, who was eyeing Mirabel carefully. “I hate how your family treats you, how the town treats you. So, I was thinking… You could come with us.“
Everything fell silent as the group all looked. At Mira, whose face was now painted in shock. “You… You want me to come with you?”
”I just feel like you need it. Get away from the pain to heal on your own. Because trust me…” Caleb’s voice became quieter. “I know what it’s like to be stuck with a shitty family…”
Katania and Gladius shared a look as Mirabel wiggled out of the hug, looking at her friend. “You… Really mean it? But… Tio Bruno ran away, and it crushed Tia Pepa and Mama… and Abuela…”
”It won’t be forever!” Caleb continued at full volume. “Just until you feel you can face your family again. When you’ve healed. Basically… Until you ARE fine.”
Mirabel looked off to the side, the thoughts bouncing in her head. But as she opened her mouth to answer, there was a crash behind her. The group all looked on the ground, and saw a tile from Casita’s roof on the floor, having cracked one of the tiles on the floor.
”Is that bad?” Sparky asked. “Or is that Casita shedding?”
To answer his question, the crack on the ground started to splinter forwards, heading towards the stairs. The groups all shared nervous looks as they followed, watching as the crack climbed the stairs, transferred to the wall, and started making the whole house shake.
”Is casita going to collapse?!” Betty cried. Mirabel just kept following the crack, the others all reluctantly following her. As they all made it to the balcony, they watched as cracks formed on the roof above, and more cracks on the walls snaked through the bedroom doors, making the brilliant golden light they all gave off flicker and falter.
From where they were, they watched as the cracks all snaked throughout the house before stopping right before the open window to Alma’s bedroom, the candle’s flame weakening for a moment.
Mirabel was dead silent as she stared at the scene in shock, with the others not much better.
”What… What was that?” Sparky asked.
”I need to tell Abuela…” Mira whispered.
But before she could go, the sword spoke up. “Hang on, Mirabel” . The group all watched in curiosity and confusion as he hovered over to the candle, and in even more confusion as he and the candle flicked and flashed in a way that seemed like…
”That’s Morse code!” Katania cried.
After a moment, the blade came back down. “This is just a vision, Mirabel. The house isn’t in danger… yet. Something is happening to the miracle, and it’s killing the magic.”
”Which means I need to tell Abuela!” She tried to rush off, but Mira was stopped when Caleb grabbed her arm.
”Mira, when you get back, the cracks will be gone. Alma will shame and ridicule you, because you’re messing with what she wants. Just… stop, okay?” Caleb gave her a pleading look, and the girl partially relented.
”But then… What do we do? What do I do?”
Gladius hummed in thought, then turned around. “I can hear the magic, and she’s in pain. So much pain she wants to die. Something is happening that’s breaking this miracle, and I have a theory as to why… but I’ll need more evidence to support it. Which means…” He spun around swiftly and looked right at the Madrigal. “I will accompany you till we solve this.”
Caleb blinked and shook his head, looking at the blade in shock. “WHAT?! HOW?!”
”With that selective invisibility I can do. I’ll make sure only Mirabel can see and hear me, so I can help her find out what’s wrong.”
”You’d really do that, Gladius?” The girl asked.
”Yes. I am a being of magic, and thus I can see h and feel how magic is alive as any other human being. Plus, you’ll need another perspective with some situations.”
Mirabel shook her head, then looked at Caleb. “Are you okay with this?”
The boy looked up at his companion, then nodded. “I trust him. Plus, we’ll get in the way, and make things too suspicious. We’ll be at camp getting everything ready to go, so no matter what we’ll have your back. But when you do make a decision on joining us, have Gladius know so he can tell us, okay?”
Mirabel looked down slightly, then gave her friends a look of determination. “Okay, I will.”
”Cool. Gladdy, keep an eye on her. Gang, let’s go.”
The group all headed towards the stairs, waving Mirabel goodbye. She and Gladius waved back, and when they were gone, the girl headed into the nursery. Almost as soon as her door closed, she let out a pained groan and flopped onto her bed.
”How am I supposed to do this…” She asked, voice muffled by her pillow. She then rolled over and looked at Claudius and, in turn, Casita. “How do I even save a miracle, or even find out what’s wrong?”
Gladius hummed as the windowsill made a motion akin to a shrug. “Well, there has to be some sort of clue.” The blade said. “You couldn’t have been the only one who noticed. Perhaps that’s why Bruno left, because he saw something in a vision or just in the house that made him decide it was dangerous.”
”Maybe…” Mirabel looked up at the ceiling, but then glanced at her dresser when Castia played with the floorboards under it, making a family photo on top dance about.
”Actually, if there’s one way to find out what’s wrong… I do know someone”, she stood up and held up the family photo, pointing out someone in particular.
Dolores.
Thus with a target set, Mirabel got ready for an early sleep, so she got tucked into her pyjamas. All the time, Gladius told her more about himself, and how he was connected to all forms of magic. At points it entranced Mira enough that she had to stop what she was doing and listen. But, eventually, she was tucked into bed and fast asleep, with Gladius resting on her desk as a watchful guardian.
Come the next morning, Mirabel was already dressed and ready for the day. Gladius was there by her side, the two of them spending a bit of time before the family breakfast to practice telepathy.
”So this way we can talk and not seem suspicious?” The girl asked as she adjusted the bottom of her blouse, stuffing it into her skirt.
”Correct”, the sword said with a nod. “Plus, that way if I have a jab at your family, you don’t need to speak out loud in response. Because trust me, I’ve seen people react to others in this exact boat, and it’s always embarrassing to whoever I talk to.”
”I bet…” She put on her bag and walked out of the nursery, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. Then, with a determined look, she headed towards the stairs. Gladius stayed close to her side, and his trickery work led like a charm. As the duo passed by Julieta, who was working in the kitchen, she smiled at her daughter warmly, not acknowledging the blade at all.
Mirabel breathed a quiet sigh of relief as she walked outside, immediately spotting Dolores at the breakfast table.
”Dolores, hey!” The bespectacled girl said in a casual tone. “You know, out of all my older cousins, you’re like, my favourite cousin, so I feel like I can talk to you about anything.” Gladius sighed and smacked a wing on his jewel. “Ergo, you caN talk to me about anything, right?”
Dolores simply stayed silent, her eyes wide.
”Camilo!” Felix said suddenly as he walked up behind Mirabel, looking at Dolores. Gladius looked to see the actual Dolores behind her dad. “Stop pretending you’re Dolores so you can have seconds!”
The second Dolores shifted back into Camilo, who flashed a smug grin. “Worth a shot”, she said with a shrug. Casita clapped back by swatting the boy with a window door, shooting him away from the food.
Felix rolled his eyes and walked off, while Dolores leaned to the side a bit. “The only one worried about the magic is you…” the doe whispered.
Mirabel jumped and looked at her in surprise. “How did you…”
”I heard you talking to yourself last night. You aren’t subtle. Only you… And the rats talking in the walls.” She walked off, only to come back immediately. “Oh, and Luisa. I heard her eye twitching all night.” Dolores let out a cute squeak and made her way to the table to eat, leaving the sword and giftless girl to ponder what she said.
”We need to talk to Luisa”, Gladius’ voice said, echoing in Mira’s mind. “But be discreet about it, don’t make it obvious.”
”How so?” Mira asked back in her head.
”Make it so you’re checking up on her, don’t mention the cracks till we’re alone with her.”
Mirabel blinked, then nodded, staking up her breakfast before heading over to the table. She swiftly took an empty seat next to Luisa, with Gladius hovering beside her for a moment before making way as Pepa sat down in the seat next to the girl.
After a moment, Alma came over to her seat at the end of the table.
As Alma talked with the rest of the family, Mirabel looked at her sister in concern. “Luisa, Dolores told me you had a rough sleep. Is… everything okay?”
The rock of the Madrigals hesitated for a moment, her eye briefly twitching. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about Mira. I’m fine, just doing what I always do.”
”Well, I saw something last night… And I was hoping I could talk to you about it.” Mira glanced over at Gladius, who was on the other side of the table, gesturing for her to keep it up. “Maybe if you want, I can help you?”
”I’m busy today sis, I’m sorry.”
The bespectacled girl sighed through her nose, eating her breakfast in a bit of frustration. Glancing at Gladius she did a very subtle shrug.
The sword looked thoughtful for a moment, then snapped one of his wings as an idea flashed in his mind. Hovering over beside Luisa, he looked her over. She was none the wiser, and when the blade flashed Mirabel a nod, the giftless girl smiled.
As Alma called for the day to begin, Luisa rushed off to go and move the church. Mirabel excused herself and ran after her, Gladius close behind. They kept their distance as the strongwoman picked up the whole church and moved it into town, silently spying as she took on job after job.
”So… she just does this all, on loop, every day?” The sword asked Mirabel as the two of them peeked around a corner.
”Yeah, from what Mama told me as soon as she got her gift…” She trailed off. “I’m now realising how messed up that sounds.”
”Exactly. The other kids are allowed to play, but your family has to work.”
Mirabel pursed her lips, only to shake her head when Luisa walked past carrying a ton of donkeys on her shoulders. Sharing a look with Gladius, he nodded, and they followed after the rock, hoping to get some answers.
~X~
Phew, another long one! But, yep, now we’re in actual movie rewrite territory, and this time it’s a solo Gladius venture! I had planned this since I wanted to include Encanto in this fic. I just feel with the lore bubbling around him, he made the most sense, especially since he is over thousands of years old and magical himself.
So expect Mirabel’s perspective on things to change a lot, especially since she has a reasonable companion to join up with her. There will be a lot of moments between the two of them that not only strengthens their friendship, but changes the course of the movie.
Fun fact, I originally wanted to end this chapter after Luisa’s song, but I felt here was a good point because I want to add more to Luisa than what was in the movie. So look forward to that!
Also, with this chapter this series as a whole has broken 950k words. That is a crazy milestone, and I fully expect the coveted 1 million hit by chapter 28 at least. So I’m pumped!
As always, thank you all for your support, and be sure to join my art collab!
Up next: Mirabel and Gladius start to see more and more why the miracle is breaking, and it results in a choice no one saw coming…
~Kat~
Chapter 22: Is A Miracle Worth Saving?
Summary:
The giftless Madrigal slowly starts to wonder what is actually the best thing to do at this point, especially since it seems like everything is against her from helping her family. After a talk with Gladius, she comes to a decision…
Chapter Text
Luisa was used to carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, with a stoic expression and can-do attitude. Never say never. Or no. Gladius, being as wise and perspective as he was, saw right through her walls with ease. As he and Mirabel followed casually behind the rock of the Madrigals, he could pick up on little ticks and twitches, making him sigh and droop a bit in sadness.
Mirabel looked over at him in concern, trying to not raise suspicion. “Is… Everything okay, Gladius?” She asked through her thoughts.
”I’m just worried for your sister”, he responded as he gestured a wing towards the strongwoman. “She’s obviously suffering under the constant work.”
Mirabel looked over at the sister, and a frown formed on her features. “Is it really that noticeable? I thought it was just a recent thing, because she always seems so happy…”
”Because she puts on a mask”, the sword explained. “I can tell when someone puts one on. A good example is Caleb’s adoptive and current mother. I’ve known her for so long, and when a certain… incident… happened, she started to hide her fear and anxieties with everyone. Including her brothers. So when she cracked and nearly destroyed half of the castle we live in, she knew we had to talk to her
”After that, it became easy for me to catch when people were hiding under a fake version of themselves, trying to ignore their own issues because they were afraid of being scrutinized by others.” He paused to sigh. “I worry she’ll reach her breaking point, Mira. Everyone has one, it just gets hit at different times…”
The bespectacled girl’s expression warped in deep concern as multiple futures flashed in her eyes, when anyone in her family reached their breaking point. Luisa, Tia Pepa, Dolores, Camilo… They had the ability to really make a mess if they were pushed too far. Aubela already dealt with enough, she couldn’t act out like that. Isabela was too perfect for it, and everyone else was too kind and patient.
But then she thought about what Gladius had said. Everyone had a limit. Mirabel hit her’s, or some kind of it, when she sang her heart out last night. But if Caleb, Kat, Gladius, anyone was there… What would she have done?
”It’s a scary thought”, Gladius suddenly said, pulling Mirabel out of her spiralling thoughts. “Which is why doing this is important.”
Mirabel gave the sword a nod and determined look. “Right.” Looking back ahead at her sister, she ran after her. “Luisa! I need to talk to you.”
”Not now, Mira”, the young woman said sternly as she lugged the donkeys out of town towards their barn. “I’m busy. We can talk later.”
”This is serious, Lulu!” Gladius snorted at the nickname Mira called out. “I know you’re busy, but I really think something is wrong-”
”NOTHING IS WRONG!” The strongwoman snapped, spinning around on a dime and giving her sister a slightly crazed look. “Everything is okay! The magic is strong, the family is strong, I’M STRONG.” Her eye twitched.
Mirabel was taken aback, but when her sister started walking away again, she glared. With a fire in her system, she stormed in front of the strongwoman and glared into her eyes. “LUISA MADRIGAL, I’M TRYING TO TALK TO YOU!”
THe rock was taken aback, looking down at her sister in shock. Even some of the donkeys looked at the younger girl with wide eyes. Gladius just nodded proudly, gesturing for Mirabel to continue.
The bespectacled girl sighed. “I’m sorry, but I can tell something is wrong. Your eye is twitching, and… And I think something is wrong with the magic…”
Luisa’s expression became more concerned. “Mira, did something happen last night?”
The girl sighed. “Last night was hard for me, but hearing what Abuela said, and you guys taking the picture… it hurt.”
”What? But you were-” Luisa stopped dead, her face paling a bit as she abruptly dropped the donkeys. “You weren’t in the photo.”
”So I was in the courtyard alone, and I saw cracks all over Casita, and the candle flickered.” Mirabel looked up at her sister, subtly catching Gladius nod in approval.
The strongwoman looked down at her sister in surprise. “Casita was… cracking? Why didn’t you tell us?”
”Because they were gone the moment I blinked… And I knew what would’ve happened if I told Abuela…”
Luisa winced, then looked off to the side. “Can I be honest, Mira?” The bespectacled girl nodded. “Last night… for a moment… I felt weak. Like my gift just turned off for a moment.”
Are you okay?” Mira asked in concern.
”I am, I wasn’t carrying anything. But it was… Weird. And it’s been happening for a while, last night was just… noticeable.” There was a pause. “The only person I told was Tio Bruno, before he disappeared…”
That made Mirabel and Gladius perk up. “Tio Bruno knows?”
”Yeah… And I remember him talking about cracks a lot…” Luisa sighed. “I miss him a lot. I felt like he understood what I was dealing with the most, because our gifts…” The strongwoman trailed off.
The younger girl walked over to an empty patch of grass and sat down, patting the spot next to her. “Your gifts… what?”
Luisa sighed and sat down, with Gladius laying on the ground on Mirabel’s other side. “Our gifts aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. I like being strong, I want to protect our home… But as is, I hate my gift. I’m just expected to carry everything, and never get a say!”
”You deserve a break, Lulu…”
”I know… But Abuela says we need to work to keep the miracle strong… although Tio Bruno said otherwise. Before he left, when Abuela was trying to show Isabela all she did, Tio took me aside a few times and told me how this isn’t what the miracle meant. I never got what he meant…”
Mirabel looked down sadly, sighing. “I’m sorry, Luisa…”
”Don’t be, it’s my problem, not yours…” There was a lull in the conversation. “Look… I don’t know what’s going on with the magic, but the night your ceremony failed… Abuela asked Tio Bruno to have a vision. She was worried about the magic, but when Tio vanished a few hours later, she became even more panicked.”
”So… she blames me for why Tio left?” Mirabel asked, hurt leaking through her voice.
“Pretty much. But if you need answers, find the vision he had. It should be in his tower.” Luisa stood back up and recollected the donkeys. “You better hurry, we have the engagement dinner tonight, so Abuela will be very on point. Good luck.”
”Wait, Luisa!” Mirabel called out. The strongwoman looked over at her, and Mira smiled. “Thank you. And I love you, be sure to rest before dinner.”
Luisa smiled. “I will, Mira. You’re welcome, and I love you too.” With that, the rock of the magical family walked off, leaving Mirabel and Gladius on their own.
”That worked out”, the girl smiled, giving the sword a hopeful look. “So, we know where to go next!” She then deflated, gazing down the path Luisa walked down. “But, Luisa… I never knew she felt like that. I guess…”
”You needed to open your eyes”, the sword said sadly. “When you live in such a wonderful place where hiding your pain is the best option, I can understand.”
”But, still.” Mirabel shot up, looking towards the town in frustration. “Luisa is a person, not a pack horse! She deserves to have a rest, not to be worked to the point of fainting!”
”One thing at a time, Mira”, the sword said, putting his wings on her shoulders and looking her dead in the eyes. “You are one person. It’s not your place to fix every little issue, you should focus on yourself first and foremost.”
The girl looked at the blade in surprise, not saying a word as thoughts bounced in her mind. After a moment longer, she blinked, and nodded.
”Right… One thing at a time.” She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and raging ideas. Gladius hovered back a bit, watching as she calmed back down. A moment longer, and she looked up at him with a weak but honest smile. “We need to find that vision.”
”Right…” The duo ran off back towards Casita, a determined fire following their march. As they passed into the town square, they passed Caleb and the others, who all waved at them. Mirabel and Gladius waved back before returning to their original task, heading down the main road to the Madrigal home.
Thankfully, none of the family were around as they first entered, so they both slipped up the stairs and along the balcony with ease. As they neared the steps leading up to Bruno’s tower, however, they heard footsteps approaching. So they ducked around the corner. Peeking around, they saw Alma walking past, talking happily with Isabela. Flower petals were left in the perfect girl’s wake, even more coming out when the mention of the engagement was brought up.
When they were out of ear shot, Mirabel turned and looked up the steps to the dark door, only to stop when she caught Gladius looking confused.
”Everything okay?” She asked.
”Yes… I just never heard of this engagement dinner…” He admitted. “At breakfast, I tuned out everything minus you. Helps me focus more.”
“I see… Well, long story short, La Senorita Perfecta is being arranged to marry Mariano, the Encanto's most eligible bachelor. I think he’s just some sappy hunk, but Isabela likes him so whatever.”
”You sound annoyed.”
”Because Isa always makes a big deal about it! She constantly rubs it in my face, on top of everything else!”
The sword hummed in distaste. “I always hated arranged marriages…”
”Abuela just wanted to give her favourite all she wants. Mama and Tiw Pepa married who they wanted out of love, but their weddings were disasters… according to Abuela.”
”The more I learn, the more I dislike this blasted family…” Gladius let out a sigh, then looked up at Bruno’s darkened door. “So, this is the door to Bruno’s tower?”
The girl looked up with him. “Yep, this is it…” She walked up the steps slowly. I have faint memories of playing in Tio Bruno’s room, because it had a lot of sand. Perfect for sandcastles.”
”Sounds lovely.” He stopped just before the door, and Mira opened it slowly. It creaked on rusted hinges, revealing a sand covered floor that went to an hourglass shaped entranceway. A sand fall rushed past just beyond it, giving everything a slightly ominous feeling.
The duo walked inside a bit, and the girls sighed. “Casita, can you turn off the sand?”
There was tile clicking behind them, and the duo turned around to see Casita fruitlessly move the tiles just before the seer’s door.
”You have no power here…” Gladius said quietly. “Looks like we’re doing this on our own, Mira.”
The girl pursed her lips, glancing at Casita moving the tiles in worry. “We’ll be careful, Casita, I promise. Plus, I have Gladius.” The house seemed to relent, doing the only thing it could do and close the door. Now that they were in uncharted territory, Mirabel took a few careful steps, only for the sand to trip her up and send her through the opening.
”MIRABEL!” Gladius cried, chasing her. He watched as she tumbled down a sandy slope and face planted on the ground, moaning in embarrassment and soreness. “Are you okay?!”
The bespectacled girl sat up, spitting sand out of her mouth. “I’m fine…” She ruffled her hair, getting all the sand out. “But I’m never going to live that down…” She glared at the blade. “Don’t tell the others, got it?”
He crossed his arms nonchalantly. “And what can you do that’s going to stop me?”
She instantly deflated and stood up. “You win…”
The sword chuckled, only to stop when he looked at what was before them. It was a stone hand sign, saying Your Future Awaits, point upwards to the top of a long and very dangerously unstable looking staircase.
”You have to be kidding…” Mirabel droned out,her jaw dropping lower and lower the more she looked up. “This is Tio Bruno’s room?! I would’ve remembered all these stairs!”
”I don’t like this place… Something about it seems… off…” He looked around the sandy cave, seeing the cracks and fallen rocks everywhere. “This couldn’t have been his room from the start. I refuse to believe it.”
A sudden squawk made the duo jump, and they looked over at a nearby rock to see a toucan landing on it, looking at them with vacant eyes.
”How did he even get-” Mirabel began, only to stop when the toucan flew off, up to the top of the cave. “And he flew off immediately. Okay, looks like it’s just me and you, Gladius. C’mon.” The girl started heading towards the stairs, only to be stopped when Gladius held her blouse collar.
”No, you aren’t taking a step on those stairs”, the blade said in a protective tone. “Not happening.”
”Then how do we get to the top?” The girl shot back in frustration. She watched with wide eyes and Gladius spun around so his blade end was aimed skyward.
”Hold on tight”, the sword said simply, gesturing a wing to his handle. “I can catch you, but just hang on. And I will go slow.”
“O… kay…” The girl grabbed the handle, apprehension across her features. As soon as her grip was firm, Gladius started to fly upwards. Mirabel let out a shocked cry, looking down as she was taken up higher and high, the ground getting further and further.
As they continued to climb up, Mirabel smiled and let out an airy laugh. “This is amazing! Have you ever done this with Caleb?”
”All the time”, the sword responded. “I only trust to do this with him. Well, until recently. Due to warming up to the others of our rambunctious and chaotic family, I’m fine with carrying others around. But only if necessary! So if you join us and come to the Capital, don’t expect me to help you get a book on a high shelf. Use a stool.”
Mirabel giggled, but then fell silent. “Actually… About joining you guys… I wanted to talk to everyone about that…”
”Yes?”
”I… I don’t know how to feel about it…” She let out a sigh. “I’ve never been outside the Encanto, and I’ve only known you guys a week. And here you are, being so kind and patient with me, trusting me to tell you about who you are… inviting ME to come along with you!” She paused. “My family never really made me feel this welcome and loved… not even Mamá and Papa, because they’re always so busy…”
The sword hummed in understanding. “It’s not an instant decision. In fact, I’ll just let you know, multiple times the others have plotted to kidnap you because they wanted to help you escape your family.” When the girl looked up in shock, the blade continued. “They care about you, and especially with Caleb, they sympathise with you. They want to see you shine as a start without being held down by your family.”
Mirabel stayed silent, making Gladius continue further. “We care about you, Mira, and Caleb was hesitant to ask you because he was scared of freaking you out. So this wasn’t something out of the blue… only those we truly trust do we let tag along.”
The girl continued to stay silent, processing everything that was said. As she looked back over the previous week, it really dawned on her how much the others were more supportive of her than how her family was. The rest of the madrigals treated her as a nuisance, or couldn’t be there because they were busy.
She looked down, Caleb’s offer playing on repeat, only stopping when they reached the top and Gladius gently set her down right before the massive dark entrance to the vision cave.
Blinking and shaking her head, she looked ahead into the tunnel, steeling her nerves and walking forward. Gladius stayed close to her side, and they looked upon the walls in slight apprehension. Carved depictions of Bruno lined them, making the whole place look right out of an ancient temple.
They both jumped when Mirabel accidentally knocked over one of the vases, calmed down, and then screamed in fear when the girl shifted another vase, making the rats hidden inside jump out and scurry up the opposite wall, vanishing into the gaping holes on Bruno carving’s face.
”I still refuse to believe this was always his room”, the blade said as they both continued. “Because if the town shamed and belittled him for his gift, this place only made it worse!”
”I can see what Luisa meant, now…” Mirabel said, gulping a bit as the massive vault-like door at the end of the hall creaked ominously.
Gladius used his telekinesis to open it more, and entered first. After a moment, he turned back to Mirabel. “It’s all clear!”
The girl carefully came in, looking around at the barely lit room. Strange carving adorned the walls and floor, making it even more eerie than the previous hall.
”Empty…” Mirabel said quietly.
As if on cue, a gust of wind suddenly came down the hall and slammed the vault door closed, sucking the duo into darkness. But only for a moment, as from the sand pit in the centre of the room, an ominous green glow started to shine.
Gladius looked the lights over, and pulled one out of the sand. Looking it over, he could see a bit of Casita in it.
”I think we found it, Mira…” He said, nervousness in his tone evident.
The girl got down on her knees, and started to pull out some of the shards. As she did so, Gladius became acutely aware of some deep rumbling that was occurring around them, making the blade become more overprotective.
”Mirabel…” He hissed. “Put the vision back together in your room… we need to get out of here…” As if to punctuate his point, a crack suddenly splinted against the wall behind Mira, making her gulp nervously.
”Okay, yeah, good idea.” She started to stuff the pieces in her bag, being as fast as she could. “And you get the door open?”
The sword nodded, winded up, and charged at where the door knob was blade first. In one swift blow, the knife was ripped off and the door swung open, making Mirabel look over and smile.
The joyous moment was ruined when the whole dome of the room cracked more and more, making the girl quickly stuff the rest of the pieces in her bag and rush over to the sword. Acting fast, Gladius let Mira grab his handle, and he flew them down away from the vision cave. There was a deep boom as sand exploded out, thankfully only dusting them lightly.
Looking into her bag, she sighed as all the pieces were accounted for.
”Thanks Gladius…” She said in a grateful tone. “If you weren’t there…”
”You would’ve been buried, yes. I’d rather not think about it.” He sighed, using a wing to brush the sand out of Mirabel’s hair. “But let’s just get to your room. The sooner we get this figured out, the better.”
~X~
Mirabel walked out of Bruno’s room in a hurry, Gladius slipping passed just before she closed the door. With a deep breath, she looked up at the faded depiction of her lost uncle. With a heavy heart, she turned around and walked back down the steps.
She looked into her back, making sure the pieces were all still there, which accidentally made her bump into Alma. The girl gasped and hid her bag behind her, while Gladius quickly sealed it up to avoid further suspicion.
The matriarch dusted herself off, then looked at her granddaughter in very slight frustration. “Where are you coming from in such a hurry?”
”I’m sorry, Abuela”, the girl said apologetically. “I was-”
”My gift!” Luisa’s shattered voice called out, cutting Mirabel off from her explanation. The strongwoman came up, and she looked a bit freaked out. “I’m losing my gift!”
”What?” Alma looked at Luisa in concern and mild shock.
”Mirabel and I were having a little talk”, Luisa explained. “And I said I was getting tired from constantly working. So I took a short little break, but as soon as I went to re-round the river, I just felt so weak and I couldn’t even lift any of the boulders!”
Luisa sighed and walked off, flexing her hands and arms slightly. The matriarch, giftless girl and sword all watched her go to her room and close her door, which made the air tense.
”What did you do?” Alma asked her granddaughter. “What did you say to her?”
”I barely said a thing!” Mira countered. “I just wanted to ask her something and tell her she needed a break!”
”Mirabel…” Alma’s rant was cut off when she heard the church’s bells ring in the distance. She briefly looked at her pocket watch, sighing when she looked back at the girl. “I have to go get the Guzmans for Isabela’s engagement. Stay away from Luisa until I can talk to her.” Gladius growled lightly. “Tonight, we can’t have any more problems. And whatever you’re doing? Stop doing it!”
The older woman headed down the stairs, making Gladius let out a snarl. “I can’t believe that woman! She blames you for something out of your control, but I can tell she’s aware the magic is breaking.”
”She thinks it’s me…” Mirabel said, both in bitterness and sadness. “It’s always my fault…” She walked over to the nursery door and headed inside, slamming it closed when the sword slipped in.
She stopped and took a deep breath, then headed over to her desk and laid out all the shards of the vision. “Let’s see what’s in your vision, Bruno…”
A loud clap of thunder behind the duo made them whirl around to see Pepa standing in the open door, a thundercloud raging above her as she gave her niece a glare. Gladius quickly hid the vision shards back in her bag, freeing up some of the tension building in Mirabel.
”Tia! Jeez…” Mira said, letting out a sigh.
”Sorry”, Pepa said, placing the box she was carrying on a dresser. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” She trailed off, her attention going to her cloud. “Shoo, shoo, shoo!” She forced it out the room’s door and closed it, finally freeing her of the annoying pest.
“I just wanted to get the last of Tonito’s things”, Pepa continued. “And then I heard… ‘the name we do not speak’…” Her storm cloud came back, making her look even more peeved. “Great, now I’m thundering! And a thunder will lead to a drizzle, and will lead to a sprinkle…” She took a deep breath, and gained a somewhat tense and disturbed smile. “Clear skies, clear skies…”
Gladius leaned close to Mirabel, his jewel glinting in uncertainty. “I don’t think your aunt likes having her emotions suppressed so much…” He gestured at her smile. ‘That is a smile that screams ‘I need therapy’.”
Mirabel swallowed a bit nervously. “Sorry, Tia…” She looked onto her desk to see the bag. “But… I guess this works… Because I need to ask you something…”
”And what is it?” It was hard to tell if Pepa was upset or not at that moment.
”If Bru…” Mira trailed off when a rain cloud suddenly appeared about Pepa’s head. “If ‘he’ had a vision about someone… what would that mean for them.”
“We don’t talk about Bruno”, the redhead said bitterly, wringing out a cloth her rain cloud unfortunately soaked.
Mirabel pursed her lips and frowned, but before she could speak Gladius stopped her. “Don’t push it. If she gets upset, it could have a domino effect on the whole family…”
”Well how else are we supposed to figure out what the vision means”, Mirabel hissed so quietly only the sword could hear. But when Pepa looked over in confusion.
”I was just… curious”, Mirabel said apologetically. “I overheard some people in town talking about… him…”
”Just don’t worry about it, Mirabel. We need to get ready for the Guzmans.” Pepa shooed her cloud away once again, looking more annoyed than anything.
”They definitely made me wonder what it was like…” Mirabel mumbled.
”It was a nightmare!” Felix shouted as he burst into the room. Gladius jumped and almost fell out of the air, but thankfully caught himself.
”Felix!” Pepa snapped at him.
”Ey, she needs to know, Pepi”, the jovial man said, walking over to his niece.
Pepa scrambled over and put a finger over his lips. “We don’t talk about Bruno!”
”He would see something terrible”, Felix continued, unimpeded by his wife. “And then…” He made a weird ticking sound, making Mirabel take a few steps back. “Boom! It would happen!”
”That’s how future vision works…” Gladius hissed. “Fun fact, though… you can’t alter it. Whatever Bruno saw doesn’t mean it was him. It would’ve happened regardless.”
Mirabel pursed her lips as her Tia pulled her Tio aside. “We don’t talk about Bruno!” She said in frustration.
”What if you didn’t understand what he saw?” The bespectacled girl asked, instantly kicking herself.
”Then you better figure it out, because it was coming for you!” Felix added.
“Oh for god's sake!” Gladius cursed. “That’s not how it works!”
Suddenly, Pepa pushed the two aside and looked her husband in the eyes in anger. “We don’t talk about Bruno, no, no, no!”
Gladius froze and spun around. “They’re… singing?”
Mirabel cringed at his tone as his aunt and uncle started singing about the missing family member, going on about how a little thing from him made their wedding day a hurricane.
”Mirabel, this is insane!” The sword cried out. “Your family hates him this much?!”
”How would I know?!” The girl Hissed as to not interrupt the song. “We can’t talk about him, and I barely remember a thing about him!”
The scene magically became outside the church, with wedding goers pulling out umbrellas as it started to rain.
”Oh, a magical music number, great…” The sword grumbled. Mirabel saw his reaction to it, and what Luisa said earlier replayed in her head. And it fully clicked. Bruno just showed the future, but because it was him having the vision… He always got the blame. Even from his own family. The bespectacled girl suddenly felt like she was just in that same spot, outcast for a thing outside of her control and blamed for all that was wrong.
As Dolores took her hand and they started to dance on the bottom floor of the courtyard, the girl’s expression didn’t once change, even as Dolores subtly hinted at Bruno still being within hearing range. Gladius watched the giftless girl in concern as Mira’s older cousin continued to sing, making Mirabel feel more confused and hurt.
Suddenly, Camillo took the floor, becoming a nightmarish version of the mission uncle with a much taller frame and glowing green eyes, rats also appearing on the shapeshifter’s back to add to the sladerious version of Bruno. Which only served to make Gladius even more mad.
Mirabel went through a tunnel and found herself in town, where some of the townspeople sang about the horrible futures they got from Bruno. From a dead fish, to loss of hair, to some gained weight.
Gladius hovered down, his jewel having shrunken as his rage built. “Mira, this town is filled with a bunch of lunatics!”
”And I would’ve just been the next one…” She whispered sadly.
The sword’s jewel grew back to regular size as he looked at his friend in heartbreak. “Mirabel, no, that’s not-”
He was cut off when they were suddenly back in Casita’s courtyard, and slowly lowering down from above was Isabela. She sang about how Bruno’s vision told her that all her dreams would come true, that she’d get the perfect life she wanted.
Mirabel watched her with a face of hurt and mild anger her heart just ripping more and more as things just spiraled. Alma, her voice loud but distant, sang how Mariano was on his way, Dolores sang about the man off her dreams being betrothed to another.
As they sang, Isabela made a demand at Mirabel to not make a sound, but Mirabel didn’t even react. The girl just blinked and walked off, making her way to the stairs and back to the nursery. Gladius followed right behind her, not taking his look of concern off her. When she was inside, she shut the door and dumped the vision tablet shards on her desk again, putting the pieces all together slowly.
As she did so, Gladius watched in worry as her expression became more and more pained as the voices of everyone continued to sing. The people that had tried to make her not ‘talk about Bruno’ were pushing her to her limit, until she snapped.
”I GET IT!” She cried, slamming her fist on her desk. All the music and singing suddenly cut, and Mira started taking small, fast breaths.
”Mirabel!” Gladius said in concern, forcing the girl to look at him. “What is wrong?”
The girl said nothing as she looked on her desk, seeing the completed vision. It showed her, standing before a cracked Casita, forever etched in emerald glass.
”Everything”, the girl choked out. “Everything is wrong… I… I don’t know what to do…”
She was so close to bursting into tears… only for Augustin to burst in dancing and looking as happy as ever.
”Miraboo! Got your party pants on, ‘cause I do-” He stopped dead, jaw dropping at the sight of the completed vision.
But… Mirabel made no move to hide it, making Gladius even more concerned. when Gus stayed silent, Mirabel just sighed.
”I broke into Bruno’s tower”, she said sadly. ”And… and think everything bad is happening because of me…”
The older man walked over, eyes locked on the tablet. The sound of the doorbell ringing broke him out of his trance, so he looked his daughter in her eyes.
“We say nothing”, he said, moving to take apart the vision. “Abuela wants tonight to be perfect. Til the Guzmans leave, you did not break into Bruno’s tower, the magic is not dying, the house is not breaking, Luisa’s gift is not fading… No one will know, just act normal…” He pulled his daughter before the door, which slowly creaked open. No one has to know…”
There was a squeak across the way, and at the sound of a squeak, the father and daughter looked across to see Dolores watching them with a wide-eyed, fearful look.
“I know…” She whispered, squeaking again as she darted off.
”She’s going to tell everyone…” Mirabel said in a drained tone.
Alma called out that it was time to eat, but that did little to change Augustin’s expression.
”Miercoles…” He cursed.
Gladius gave one last look towards Mirabel, whose eyes reflected her raging emotions before she was dragged off by her father to the dining room. The blade whimpered in worry, chasing after his friend to hopefully keep things from falling apart. Figuratively… and literally, as cracks formed on the walls little by little.
~X~
In Casita’s dining room, the tone was very strange. While everyone seated was ready for the dinner to begin with bright smiles, Three members in particular were trying to not seem suspicious. Augustin had a more noticeably strained smile on his face, Dolores looked like a deer caught in headlights as she looked between the two who first learned of the vision…
And Mirabel sat up straight, her expression neutral but eyes showing all of her spiralling angers, anxieties and fears.
Gladius hovered above the table, looking between the giftless girl and doe continuously, fearfully waiting for when things would break. Mirabel just sighed as she listened to Alma’s speech about this joyous occasion, her mind just wandering elsewhere.
Glancing around subtly, she locked onto Gladius. “What’s your deal?” She asked, her voice echoing in her head.
”I’m worried about you!” The sword cried back telepathically. “I can tell you’re miserable, and I don’t want you doing anything drastic.”
Mirabel looked over at Dolores briefly, seeing her eldest cousin whisper something in Camila’s ear. He choked a bit and shifted repeatedly in shock, making it clear what the doe just told him. “This was going to happen eventually, Galdius. It’s best I take it like always…”
”I can see you’re scared”, the sword hissed. Mirabel ignored him when Isabela passed her the water pitcher, with the bespectacled girl quietly passing it to her dad. As she did, she saw Camilo pass Dolores’ message along to Felix, how did a spit take. Which meant Mariano was drenched.
”God, your family is a mess…” The sword growled.
”You aren’t wrong…“ Mira sighed internally. The sword looked back down at her in worry.
”Mirabel?” Alma asked. The girl looked over, zero emotion on her face. “The cream, please.”
The girl obliged, grabbing the cream and passing it to her grandmother, who took it with a warm smile. As she did so, she saw Felix telling her wife the secret, which made a rain cloud form above her. When Alma pointed it out, Pepa repeated her clear skies mantra while stroking her braid. Gladius was getting tired of this game of telephone, and knew he had to do something.
”Don’t”, Mirabel said firmly, the anger and hurt in her tone leaking through. “Just… let it happen, Gladius.”
”You can’t be serious Mirabel!” The sword shot back as Pepa told Julieta, making Mirabel’s mother look at her daughter in concern and worry. Mirabel just frowned a bit and took a sip of her drink, only to see a crack forming across the tiled floor.
“Mirabel”, Mariano said, snapping the girl out of her state for a moment and making him look over at him. “Everything okay?”
”I’m fine”, she said with a smile that almost matched the cracks in how broken it looked. “Just… had a lot of stuff on my mind. Don’t worry about me.”
Gladius hovered down in front of her, giving her a hard look. But she just ignored him as she smiled at Isabela.
”I’m just excited, that’s all. I mean, my amazing sister is marrying the finest bachelor in the Encanto”, that made Dolores, Luisa, Augustin, Julieta and Antonio look at her in worry. Something was wrong. “So I’m just happy for the two of you!”
Isabela looked at her sister in shock, not used to this kind of… supportive Mirabel. Something was up.
And Gladius knew exactly what. He flew around to the back of Mirabel’s chair and shifted it a bit, hoping this Casita-like action would snap her out of her moment. Instead, she kicked her chair, making the sword and a fork fall to the ground. Looking down, she sighed and picked the fork back up, giving the betrothed couple a smile.
”Again, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” She went back to eating her food, not caring about the concerned gazes aimed at her. Or the friend she just kicked onto the floor.
As he laid there, Gladius saw more crack forming on the ceiling, making him shoot up so much he accidentally smacked his handle end on said ceiling. No one noticed the sound, but Mirabel caught sight of some of Antonio’s animals messing with the vision shards, pulling them out of her dad’s pocket.
Luisa, who was tasked with getting the piano, was struggling to pull it in, all while the animals fixed the vision under the table on a tray. The cracks started to form all over the room, as casita shook. Gladius winced as the miracle started to scream and whimper in agony,
It all fell apart completely as Casita suddenly flung Mirabel from her chair, sending cracks splintering across all of the closed windows. with all the gifts going haywire. Antonio’s animals went amok and accidentally threw Gladius against, Pepa couldn’t stop her cloud, Dolores covered her ears, and Isabela lost control of her plants, hitting Mariano in the nose. As all of this happened, Dolores blurted out the secret of the vision, with the house flinging the completed tablet onto the table, showing it to the whole family and two guests.
Things fell silent and everyone looked at Mirabel, but all she did was look at them in heartbreak and run off.
Gladius watched her leave, and adrenaline shot through him. “MIRABEL!” He was so desperate to chase her, he accidentally sliced through the exit door. But no one noticed.
The sword frantically looked around the main courtyard, but when he didn’t spot her, he decided to check the nursery. But just before he went and opened the door, he heard her sniffling. Turning around, he saw his friend sitting against the wall, face buried in her knees.
Silently, he hovered over and down, gently resting a wing on her cheek.
”I just hate it, Gladius…” She said between sobs. “I hate that I’m the scapegoat now. I’m just the new Bruno, the one who always screws up and will never be enough for this family…
“Mirabel…” The sword said sadly. ”That isn’t true. You belong in this family like everyone else, exactly like Bruno. It’s them that failed you both.”
”How?” The girl asked miserably, looking at the blade with tear filled eyes. “I clearly did something to take Luisa’s gift away, I broke into Bruno’s tower, I ruined the engagement, I almost ruined Antonio’s gift ceremony. And now I’m breaking the magic! I can’t do anything right!” She slammed a closed fist on the floor, then all her rage instantly dissolves into misery, making her bury her face in her knees again.
Gladius sighed. “That isn’t your fault, Mira. None of it is. You… You just are easy to blame because no one understands. Because they don’t know who you really are…” he looked to the side. “What’s going on?”
Mirabel lifted his face and looked to her left, all her sadness disappearing as she jumped back. A train of rats were each carrying a piece of the vision, crawling up the wall and slipping behind a painting the duo were next to. Sharing a look, the girl stood up and studied the painting. Messing around with it, it opened on two creaky hinges, and revealed a hole in the wall.
As the thunder above rumbled, she slipped inside quickly, Gladius following suit. Once they were inside and the painting was closed behind them, they watched as a crack splintered up.
”How big is this house?” Gladius asked. ”This place is between the walls, how can it fit?!”
Mirabel wasn’t able to answer as a rat scurried under her and over to the dark. The duo watched as the green glow went up, and as lightning flashed, it revealed a hooded figure in a green robe. He looked over at Mirabel, expression unreadable, before he was gone by the second flash.
”Hey, wait!” Mirabel cried out as she gave chase. Gladius was close behind as they maneuvered around corners and under awkward support beams, all while the walls around them cracked more and more.
At some point, the duo reached a massive hole in the floor that the mysterious man parkoured passed with ease. When Mira looked ready to do a reckless jump, Gladius helped her by simply hugging her around the waist and carrying her over. But he missed a support beam and almost knocked Maribel into the hole, but thankfully she made it across.
Although they did collide with the mysterious man. They all groaned, then stood back up. With his hood gone, it was undeniable. The mysterious man was Bruno Madrigal.
After a lull of silence, Bruno spoke. “Bye.” He simply turned around and started walking down the path.
”Wait, no!” Mirabel said in shock. “Hold on!”
Bruno just kept walking, Mirabel somewhat struggling to follow as she hit her head on some low beams. Gladius helped her as best he could, but he also smacked some beams on accident.
As they walked, Mirabel asked her now found uncle something. “Why did you take the vision? What does it mean?”
Bruno didn’t really answer, rather knocking his knuckles on the various wood supports. “Knock knock knock knock, knock on wood!”
”Is it why you came back?” Mirabel asked as she nursed a sore elbow. “Tio Bruno?”
Bruno just repeated the wood knocking thing. “You were never supposed to see that vision. No one was.”
”But…” Mirabel was interrupted when the man tossed some salt over his shoulder and accidentally in her face, making her sputter.
”Hey!” Gladius said, but his cry fell on deaf ears.
Bruno then did it again with sugar, then did some little skipping ritual. As he did that, the duo looked up the wall to their left, surprised to see all the cracks there filled in with spackle.
Mirabel’s eyes widened. “Wait… You’ve been in here, patching the cracks?”
The seer turned around and looked at the wall. “Oh that? No, no no no. I’m too scared to go near those things. All the patching done by Hernando.”
”Who’s-” Mira was interrupted when Bruno suddenly put his hood up and spoke in a different voice.
”I’m Hernando and I’m scared of nothing!”
The duo just watched him in concern and confusion as the man pulled the hood down. “It’s actually me…” He chuckled nervously. “I used to say my real gift was ’acting’.”
Mirabel just stayed silent as he put a bucket on his head.
”I’m Jorge. I make the spackle.”
Gladius hovered down a bit. “I think you’re Tio has gone a bit crazy living like a hermit…” He sighed. “I’m worried for him.”
Mirabel cringed. “How long have you been… back here?”
The isolated seer let the duo to his little private abode, a small room with various knick knacks on the shelves, a table connected to the right wall, and a comfy but worn looking arm chair in the corner.
“You never left…” Mirabel said as she stood in the middle of the room, Gladius cringing and gagging in disgust at the copious amounts of rats.
“Well”, Bruno began. “I-I left my tower, which you know… a lot of stairs. And uh… in here, eh?” He held up some food from breakfast. “Kitchen adjacent. Oh, plus… free entertainment!” He picked up a rat and placed it on a small stage on a barrel, poking its head through various little cutouts. “So, whattya like? whattya like? You like sports? Game Show? Telenovelas?” The rats squeaked and scurried off. “Their love could never be…” He slumped into his chair.
Mirabel just looked around the room. ”I don’t understand…”
”Well, because she’s his aunt, and she has amnesia, so she can’t remember that she’s his aunt”, Bruno said. “It’s like a forbidden kind of-”
”I don’t understand”, Mirabel pressed. “Why you left… But didn’t leave.”
The seer suddenly looked very tired. “Oh, well, because… uh… The mountains around the Encanto are pretty tall. And uh, you know like I said, free food and everything…”
As Bruno went to tend to the rats, Mirabel and Gladius shared a look and walked over to the boarded up window. Peeking through the small crack, they were both crushed to see it went right to the kitchen. The sword looked down, seeing how the seer painted a plate with his name on the makeshift table.
”He couldn’t leave because he wanted to be there…” The blade told Mirabel. “Mira… I really think I you can tell what went wrong…”
The girl blinked, fighting back tears. “You hid because… you were scared…”
Bruno flinched a bit, and looked over at his niece. “I…” She saw her concerned look. “Yeah… yeah I was. The night you didn’t get your gift, Alma asked me to have a vision…” He held up the fixed tablet, showing how it switched between a fixed Casita and cracked Casita. “It switched between two futures. But because I’m Bad Luck Bruno, everyone would’ve assumed the worst so… I left…”
He looked at his niece sadly. “I was scared of how everyone would react. Scared of how this vision could’ve ruined your life. I… I didn’t want that to happen…”
There was a lull as Mirabel processed what was said. “I get it, Tio… But that didn’t help me…”
”I know… Alma still pushed you around and aside… I’m sorry, Mira…”
Gladius watched the whole scene sadly, so in that moment, he made a choice. Hovering over to the seer a bit, he spoke. “Bruno.”
The man jumped and looked at the sword, looking at it in fright. “O-Okay, there’s a talking sword in my room! Mirabel, where’d this talking sword come from?”
”Tio Bruno…” The girl began. “This is my friend Gladius. He and some other friends came from out of the Encanto. And… he’s helped me a lot.”
”I mean no harm”, Gladius continued, gaining all attention again. “I just… I wanted to speak to you. I have existed for thousands of years, and I could see in a single moment that you were hurt by everyone. They even made a song about you, for Pete’s sake!”
”I do like it a…” Bruno trailed off when he saw the sword glaring at him, and then sighed. “It did hurt at first. But at some point… you get used to it, you know?”
”You shouldn’t be used to it. This…” The sword gestured to the whole room. “This isn’t okay. Your family is broken. They’re so set on image, on wearing a mask, one little slip up is treated as a crushing sin. Mirabel is pushed aside for not getting a gift, you’re shamed for a gift you don’t control. It… This isn’t what the miracle is about.”
Bruno nodded sadly. “Trust me, I figured that out a long time ago. Papa, he… He sacrificed himself for us… And here I am treated like some bad luck charm…”
Mirabel, who was silent for the most part, spoke up. “Gladius… is the miracle dying because… we’re forgetting to be a family?”
”Yes.” the blade sighed. ”You’re miracle is formed on love for family. Not work or the town. And… that love is faltering…”
”But then why am I in the vision?”
The sword looked at the tablet for a long while, the emerald glow almost sombre. “It’s not because you are the one who needs to take a stand… It’s for the rest of the family to decide how they accept you. Because you are a part of the Madrigals. Not the only one…”
The girl fell silent once more, her mind racing. She sat on the stool at the makeshift table, tears threatening to escape her eyes. “So no matter what happens, the miracle will die, won’t it?”
”Yes… because it takes time for things to heal…”
Bruno looked at his niece sadly, then at Gladius. “You… I did see your other friends. At Antonio’s ceremony. While everyone was in his room, I slipped out and saw you all. I can tell, you guys helped Mirabel more than I ever did.”
”You are the most honest here, Bruno”, Gladius said, respect aimed at the seer. “You were misguided, but what happened… You did what you could. But I suggest getting out of here. The house will collapse soon,and I don’t want you to die in the rubble.”
”I will, don’t worry.” Bruno’s slight smile fell when Mirabel stood up, a shadow covering her eyes. “Mira?”
”Gladius, I’ve made my decision”, she said firmly. “I’m/// I’m going to come you you and the others.”
The sword looked at her in surprise. “You do?”
”There’s nothing here I can do anymore. I just… I need a break. So I’ll come with you guys, and find myself. Because… I want to be my own person. I am Mirabel first, not a Madrigal first.”
The seer opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated for a moment. “Kid, are you really sure about this?”
”I am Tio. And… I promise I’ll get you something when I come back.”
The seer sighed. ”Alright. I’ll… I’ll start getting packed so when this place comes down, I’ll be okay.”
The sword nodded and headed to the makeshift door. “Come, Mirabel. I’ll help you pack.”
The girl nodded and started walking towards the door. But when Bruno stood up, she bolted over and hugged him.
”Thank you for protecting me, Tio…”
Bruno was taken aback for a moment, before smiling and hugging back. “Of course kid… You were always my favourite. But don’t tell anyone else that.” He winked as they broke off the hug.
Mirabel giggled and Gladius chuckled, and the two of them bid farewell to him. When the door closed, he sighed.
“Alright, Bruno… Time to pack…” He looked around his room. “What should I take?”
~X~
The skies above the Encanto were grey and stormy, thunder rumbling above. The rest of the family could be heard calling out for Mirabel, but couldn’t find her anywhere. Little did they know, she was in the nursery, busy packing two bags. Gladius was holding one that was already all packed up, watching her work her away.
”You want to be prepared, huh?” He asked, a laugh audible in his tone.
”It’s the first time I’ve traveled like this…” She paused, and looked up at him. “I do trust you, I really do, it’s just…”
”First trip jitters, as some of my friends have said, I totally understand.” The girl smiled and finished packing her second bag, handing it to the blade. “I’ll make sure these are in a safe spot on the ship.”
”Thanks, Gladius… and, before you go… I really want to say thank you. For all of this.” Mirabel flashed him a watery smile. “You helped me more than my whole family ever has, same with the others. You all… made me feel loved again.”
”Anything for a member of this little ragtag family, Mira.” The sword adjusted the bags. “I’ll see you later.”
He waved goodbye, and left out the window. Casita groaned sadly, but the sword heard the miracle saying a weak “Thank you”. He nodded towards the house and continued towards the camp, lowering into the trees as he neared.
When he came back, everyone looked over at him. Caleb perked up, seeing the bags. “So Mirabel is tagging along?”
”Yes, she is”, The sword said as he set the bags down. “She just needs to do something back in Casita before she joins us.”
”I’m glad she’s doing what she needs to heal!” Betty said happily. “And just in time too, the ship is ready!”
”All systems are operational again”, X-5 said, with Bernie saluting on top of his head. “When Mirabel arrives, we’ll take off.”
”I’m looking forward to it!” Sparky said happily as he sat on one of the logs. “I love the food here, but I’m ready to get going. More places to see, more people to meet!”
”I’ll just be looking forward to actually walking around and not staying glued at the camp”, Ransack said in relief. “Sticking around here has made my joints rusty.”
”I’m going stir crazy”, Crumplezone said as he clutched his head. “I need an open road. Stat.”
”Be patient, guys”, Kat said with an eye roll as she exited the ship. Dusting her hands, she smiled. “But we’re now all packed up! Just need our plus one!”
Everyone smiled and sounded off cheers, but things fell silent as the earth shook.
”Uhhhhhhh…. What’s happening?” Betty asked.
The group all jumped when a distant but loud crack hit their ears, and they all looked to see one of the mountains splitting in two. Caleb’s eyes widened, and he rushed towards the town. The other town explorers were right behind them, with Marina barking at those staying behind to make sure the ship wasn’t damaged.
Upon entering the town, the group watched as Casita started to crack and crumble, with a massive crack going from the living house to the cracked mountain, splitting the town in half.
”Caleb, what’s happening!” Sparky cried.
”The miracle… It’s dying…” The boy looked over to the mountain, just barely catching a glimpse of the bespectacled girl rushing through it. “Kat, Gladdy, you two are with me. The rest of you, back to camp.”
Zig motioned after their friend.
”We’ll handle this. I promise.” Caleb chased after their friend, with his two fellow Capital residents following close by. The others all stayed where they were, but all looked over to Casita as the home finally crumbled. With sad looks, they all headed back to camp, hoping the trio got a hold on this…
~X~
Okay, wow. This arc is just really content filled, huh? This chapter ended at 8.8k words before these author’s notes, so yeah, this arc is probably the longest one I’ve written. Probably, the Doctor Who arc from the first DCT might forever be the longest because of its massive 22k word second part.
Anyway, yes, we finally had the end of Encanto and things have definitely played out differently. Mirabel seemed more… accepting she couldn’t fix things, and that’s as intentional (obviously). And yes, she will be tagging along, there’s just one last chapter till she finally joins the party fully.
Other than that, I don’t have much to say. Just that… we are so close to hitting one million words total for this series…
Thank you everyone, I love you like always.
Up next: Caleb, Katania and Gladius have an important talk with Mirabel, and a shattered family is forced to accept her choice…
~Kat~
Chapter 23: I’ll Find Myself
Summary:
The miracle finally has died, and our trio of Capital mainstays head to the river to comfort an emotionally drained Mirabel. Plenty is said to her and the rest of her family, and while goodbyes are bittersweet…
They’re only temporary…
Chapter Text
The newly opened trail through the cracked mountain was hauntingly quiet. There were uprooted trees and cracked rocks scattered about, while a thick fog blocked the trio’s vision. Caleb waved his hand in front of himself, hoping to not bump into anything, while Katania held his free hand in reassurance. She would occasionally trip on loose branches and pebbles, but Gladius used his telekinesis to save her.
She flashed him a thankful smile, and they continued walking. It was silent, and with the overcast weather on top of it all… This trail felt like a graveyard. Frozen memories danced around as if the Encanto was frozen in time, and it was finally able to catch up.
When the thrill finally made it past the precarious mountain, they came to a still and calm jungle. It was devoid of the colour and life that seemed to be a permanent fixture of the Encanto, but that made it somewhat idyllic. The trio looked around at the setting for a bit, before looking down in front of them.
Sitting before a river, right on the shore of its shallow waters, was Mirabel. She seemed to just be calmly sitting, looking out to the jungle across the way. She turned her head slightly, making it clear she did hear her friends.
Silently, the troop walked over and sat next to her. Caleb sat on her left, Kat on her left, and Gladius hovered above all three of the humans. The four of them didn’t say a word, choosing to just keep the silence.
Caleb carefully glanced at Mira, and could see a clouded and tearstained look on her face. With a slight frown, he moved closer and held her hand, not saying anything as the bespectacled girl breathed through her nose, sniffling a bit.
They stayed like that for a while until the Madrigal finally spoke.
”I’m assuming the others are back at camp?” She asked in a shattered whisper.
Kat nodded. “They were really worried, but we knew you didn’t want to be swarmed. At least… not yet.”
Mirabel gained a weak smile, slowly looking down into her lap. “Thanks, guys… It means so much to me that you think of this…”
Gladius hovered down and looked her over. “Mira… what happened after I left?”
The girl sniffled again, and gained a semi-pained expression. “Almost as soon as you were gone, Isabela barged into my room demanding that I come to the courtyard to face Abuela. I said no, so she dragged me out right to her. As soon as Abuela started to try and blame me for everything… I snapped.
”I started to scream and cry at her about everything I found out, about how I felt, about everything. The rest of the family all came to see what was happening, but said nothing when Abuela was blaming me. Not even Mama or Papa…” She paused. “After I bit, I just… broke. I burst into tears and said Abuela was the one breaking the miracle… and Casita collapsed. She shoved everyone out front, but let me head out back.”
”And you ran for it after”, Caleb said in a sad tone. “I saw you for a moment…”
”Yeah…” She hesitated for a moment. “I just didn’t have the heart to face everyone… And before you say anything, Gladius…” The sword straightened up. “I don’t blame myself for what happened. I know it wasn’t my fault. And if I did… After that argument, I wouldn’t…”
”I just can’t believe no one stood up for you”, Kat growled, looking at the watcher angrily. “They know there’s issues, and yet they say nothing!”
”Because it’s hard for a lot of people to change after things have been a certain way for a long time…” Caleb said sadly. “It doesn’t excuse what they did, they still need to do better. I just… get how it feels…”
Kat and Gladius winced, while Mirabel gave him a sad look. “You understand?”
”Yeah… I’ll get into it some other time, but right now… Just know I’m used to seeing crummy families…”
The group fell silent again, the sound of the rushing water and distant birds chirping the only things keeping the void of silence away. Mirabel sighed happily, her hand tightening around Caleb’s, the tension within her slowly dissipating.
”Guys…” She Began. “Thank you. For everything. Showed me support when I needed it most, you stuck by me when I was close to breaking, and you especially Gladius… You were there for me all while I was just trying to figure out… what was wrong with everything.”
”Of course, Mirabel”, the blade said with a kind bow. “I couldn’t leave a friend to deal with that alone.”
”And… And I know now I really want to come with you guys.” She looked up at the sky happily, the clouds still creating an overcast. “I know it’s going to crush my family, but I need to heal. I want to show everyone who I really am.”
”That’s it, Mira!” Katania said happily. She sprung to her feet, eyes sparkling. “When we get back to the Capital, we’ll go to the mall and buy all the clothes you want!”
Mirabel’s eyes widened a bit. ”You really mean it? I don’t…”
”You do deserve it, Mira”, Caleb said as she stood up, helping the bespectacled girl to her own feet. “You’re our friend, and you’ll be a guest at our home. It’s only right we show you what a true Capital welcoming is.”
The girl looked between her two friends, shock gracing her features. She only stopped when Gladius chuckled, and she looked up. “Mirabel, you will love it, trust me. I’ve seen the capital grow and change so much over the years, and these two especially made it so much more fun.”
”So, c’mon.” Caleb said with a smile. “We shouldn’t keep the others waiting.”
Everyone nodded and turned to go back, only to freeze. Before them, looking them over with a hurt expression, was Alma. She looked tired, like she had walked all the way here from Casita’s rubble on her own. She looked over the strangers with a nervous expression, then to her granddaughter. There was a moment of silence as the two Madrigals stared at each other. But, soon, the matriarch spoke.
”Mirabel…” She started. “What… who are these people?”
Mirabel’s face twisted a bit. “The friends I told you about, Abuela. the friends who helped me feel loved when you pushed me aside.”
The older woman winced. “I’m sorry, mi neita… Just, please, hear what I have to say…”
The girl stayed silent, but when she looked at Caleb and saw him no, the girl let the older woman continue.
”I… I thought I would have a different life”, she began. “One where me and Pedro raised our children happily. But when the raiders took him from me… I…”
”Couldn't move on?” Katania said bluntly. The older woman was shocked, staring at the general’s daughter. “I’ve seen the same story constantly. But, news flash, you can’t use that as an excuse to treat someone in your family like they’re a mistake!”
”You are an awful woman, Alma”, Caleb spat. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
The matriarch bristled a bit. “I understand What I did was wrong, but you-”
“Saw all the issues instantly!” The boy cried out. “It helps to have an outsider’s perspective when it comes to an abusive or neglectful family.”
Alma took a step back, seeing the boy’s expression go from anger to disappointment. “But I get it, losing someone dear to you hurts. But you held onto the past and didn’t move on. You should have learned from what your husband did to be a good mom first, not ‘leader of the community’.”
Alma blinked, and sighed. “I understand. Mirabel’s words… they cut through me, and seeing Casita collapse… I realise I have hurt the familia…”
Mirabel pursed her lips and walked up to her grandmother. “Abuela, I know you have a reason for why you hurt us. But I’m your neita, when I didn’t get a gift, you should have still loved me…”
”I know, and I am sorry I failed you, Mirabel…”
There was a bout of silence, with the others all looking at Mirabel. After a moment, the bespectacled girl spoke. “I… I can’t forgive you yet, Abuela…” The older woman’s expression lost all its hope. “I can maybe in the future, but ten years is a long time. So… I just can’t forgive you just yet.”
Alma let out a shaky sigh, then gave her granddaughter a pained smile. “I understand… But, what will you do now?”
”I was going to go with them”, the girl gestured to the others. “They’re taking me out of the Encanto so I can heal and find myself…”
The matriarch paled a bit, but remained silent as Caleb walked up. “I promise she’ll be safe. I have friends who’d take on an army if it meant keeping Mira safe.”
”Do you promise?” She asked. “Because… With how much I’ve hurt her, I know she won’t listen.”
”I promise, Alma…” The boy trailed off as Gladius hovered over, Alma jumping in fight.
”Alma Madrigal”, the sword began in a booming voice. “I could feel and hear your magic, and if you could too, you’d suffer eternal nightmares. It wanted to die, so if you wish for things to get better, talk to your family. Make up for the past, for the hurt, for the pain, for the loss.”
The matriarch was silent, looking up at the blade in slight fear but then nodded. “I… I promise.”
”Good.” There were bushes rustling behind Alma, and everyone looked to see Bruno burst out of the bushes on a horse.
“Sorry!” He cried as he struggled to get off the saddle. “I saw Mira run off and panicked so I stole a horse and…” He trailed off when he saw everyone but Alma giving him smiles.
”We’re fine, Bruno…” Katania said as she walked passed. “I just think you need some time to explain things…”
The seer looked over, and flinched a bit when he saw the shocked look on Alma’s face. “Hola… Mama…”
”Brunito…” She said in quiet disbelief.
”I’ll explain everything soon, just…” He stopped when he turned, Mirabel looking at him with a sad smile. The seer sighed. “So you’re going to get going, huh?”
”I am, yeah… But I promise I’ll be back!”
”Just make sure to talk to your Mama and Papa before you go. They were worried sick about you.”
”I will…” She started walking off, following her friends as they headed back.
The two adults watched her leave, with the matriarch looking at her long lost son in worry. “Bruno… will she truly be safe with them?”
”I don’t need a vision to know that… yeah, she’ll be safe…”
The older woman gave off a weak smile, watching her granddaughter walk off. Watching her, Alma smiled a bit at how much she was like Pedro…
~X~
The walk back to the Encanto was peaceful, with Mirabel humming a tune as the group walked. Despite the rift through the main road, and the good amount of clouds in the skies, it was happy. The Madrigal seemed lighter, like she finally was free to grow how she pleased.
Caleb and Kat shared a smile, keeping it hidden from their friend, but Gladius’ chuckle made the bespectacled girl catch on. She looked at her friends and grinned, ruffling Caleb’s hair and running ahead. The boy laughed and ran after her, copying her odd attempt to play hopscotch over the crack.
As the trio all played around and ran, Gladius hovered overhead like a proud parent. He took a deep breath in and let it out with a happy sigh, coasting through the air like he was swimming. This is why he loved life, and nothing could ruin the mood.
As the quartet neared the rubble where Casita once stood, Mirabel stopped and looked on. She could hear her family somewhere calling for her, and she sighed.
”I guess this is it, huh?” She asked. “I’ll be leaving after this, and… I’ll be who knows where.”
”Trust me, Mira, you’ll love it”, Caleb said with a reassuring smile. “Just tell them you’re okay, and what the plan is. We’ll be right here to back you up.”
”And I’ll lay out Isabela if you ever need me too”, Katania said, her look and tone dead serious. “I’ve been trained in several ways to kill.”
The others all blinked slowly, and Mirabel cleared her throat. “Right… Well, here I go…”
She turned around and walked through the destroyed archway that was once Casita’s front door, and looked around at what was once her home. Now just dusty rubble and faded painted bricks, it felt hollow and lifeless. All the energy was gone, and now it was just pain and hurt.
As she turned around on the spot, she heard footsteps coming towards her. Looking to the left, Mirabel perked up when Julieta ran around the corner, locked eyes with her, and bolted.
In seconds, the woman brought Mirabel into a hug, whispering thankful messages in Spanish. When she pulled back, she looked her daughter over.
”Mi vida, you have no idea how worried I was…” She said, breathing a bit heavy. “I thought you…”
”Casita let me out the back”, the girls said sadly. ”I just didn’t… I couldn’t face you all, not after that…”
”Mirabel, it’s okay. You… we do have a lot to talk about…” Julieta trailed off when more voices called out. “I found her!”
There was a rush of footsteps, and the rest of the family came around some rubble one after another, all of them rushing over and checking the girl over. Isabela hung back, looking a bit awkward, but that was missed when Julieta chastised everyone for not giving Mirabel space.
”Miraboo, where did you run off to?” Augustin asked, looking a bit banged up from tripping earlier.
”I just wanted to clear my head…” She said with a head shake and tired sigh. ”But after talking with some friends, I came back.”
The rest of the family all looked over, and saw the two Capital kids standing there. Gladius was hovering above, now ready to be seen by them all… Yet.
Caleb and Kat waved. “We just felt she needed to talk to you guys!” The boy called out.
Julieta nodded. “Yes… But first, I need to ask… Where is your Abuela?”
”She’s past the cracked mountain, having a talk with… someone important.” Mirabel cursed herself, not mentioning her uncle by name. But he’ll come back eventually. “I… I couldn’t forgive her. Not yet…”
”And you shouldn’t have to”, Julieta said sternly. “What Abuela said… It wasn;t okay, and I’m proud you’re standing up for yourself.”
”But what are we going to do now?” Camilo asked. “We don’t have a home?”
”Uhhhhhh…” Luisa droned out, the gears turning in her head. “Maybe we should ask the town?”
“Y-Yes”, Pepa said, stuttering a bit as she looked for her cloud. “We… We just need some help.”
Julieta smiled at her family, but her smile fell when Mirabel’s hand slowly lipped out of hers. Looking at her daughter in concern, she saw a nervous look. “Mi vida… What’s wrong?”
”I’m… I’m not staying…”
That made the whole family look at her in confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Isabela spat, only to duck a bit when her dad shot her a glare.
Caleb and Kat walked up closer, and Mirabel looked at her family. “I’m leaving the Encanto. Caleb and Kat offered that I could come with them on their trip, so I said yes.”
The whole family froze, looking at the girl with wide eyes. “But… why?” Dolores asked quietly.
”I’m tired!” Mira cried out as she started to pace. “Ever since my ceremony, I felt like I didn’t belong in this family. And the past few days have been horrible for me. And when I finally stood up to Abuela, none of you said anything! I was just the scapegoat again!”
”Mira is as much family as anyone else”, Caleb said. “And we saw the issues you guys had from a mile away. Saw Luisa getting overworked”, the strongwoman winced, “Alma expecting endless work from you all”, Pepa and Julieta shared a look, “And how much you just ignored Mirabel!”
”Tell us this”, Kat said sternly. “When was the last time you really sat down and TALKED with Mira?”
The family all shared looks, guilt forming on their faces. Except Antonio, who ran over and hugged Mira in the legs. Caleb and Kat smiled down at him.
”Except Antonio”, Caleb said. “Because who would have thought having her raise a baby when she was ten years old would make him more understandable?”
A rain cloud would’ve formed above Pepa if it could.
”And it was so bad… none of you realised Mira wasn’t in the picture after Antonio got his gift…” Kat spat.
”Mira, I’m so sorry!” Antonio cried out, looking up at the girl miserably. Mirabel just smiled and picked him up, briefly glancing at the shattered expressions on the rest of the family.
”We were in the courtyard with her when Casita showed us the cracks”, Caleb said. “And we told her not to tell you all because we knew what would happen!”
Julieta, a hurt expression painting her face, took a step forward. “Is that why you found the vision?” She asked her daughter.
”Because I could sense the magic was in pain”, Gladius barked, making everyone look up at him. The doom took a few steps back as the magical sword hovered down, looking at her harshly.
”Everyone”, Mirabel started. “This is Gladius. He was with me all of yesterday, and saw it all.”
”What?” Dolores cried out. “But how?”
”I’m an ancient and magical sword”, the blade explained. “I can make myself invisible to whoever I want… And make who I want completely silent to people with hearing so sensitive they can hear a heartbeat…” The doe’s eyes widened. “I was with Mirabel starting the night of Antonio’s ceremony, and all throughout yesterday I saw all of you act like the most dishonest family ever.”
He started flying around, continuing to rant. “I saw Luisa trying to bury her worries, watched Alma belittle Mirabel, listened to all of you sing how awful you MISSING family member was, and that atrocious engagement dinner. All while your miracle, the magic that connected all of you, screamed and cried in pain. It WANTED to die, because you all forgot to be a family!”
He sighed. “I can see a lot, being thousands of years old. All of you have suffered greatly. From constant noise, identity issues, overworking, all of it. Each and every one of you.”
”To be a family, you need to pick the pieces back up”, Caleb said. “Mirabel deserves a family that knows love is the most important thing.”
The Madrigals all remained silent before a few of them made moves to speak. But before a word could get out, there was a distant scream. Everyone looked over towards the edge of the jungle to see Marina, Sig, Sparky and Betty all rush out. They looked over, locked onto Mirabel, and sprinted.
Before she could react, the bespectacled girl was glommed on both sides by the disguised mermaid and hyena. They both started crying in joy, relieved she was okay. Sparky looked her over carefully, and Betty fused over her.
”Don’t you ever do that again!” The Galactic Guardian said as she circled the group. “Of all the reckless things… especially during an earthquake! You could’ve been hurt!”
Mirabel blushed. “Look, I get it, don’t run off. But can we not make this a big deal?”
Caleb and Kat shared a smile, but the rest of the Madrigals watched the scene with… Conflicting emotions. There was jealousy, guilt, worry, sadness… all because none of them could remember the last time they were like this with the once giftless Madrigal.
Julieta sucked in a breath, trying to not cry. Gladius hovered down next to her, placing a reassuring wing on her shoulder. “We only want Mirabel to come with us to heal. She needs to be away and discover who she is deep down. And I swear to you, Julieta, she will be safe.”
”Are you certain?” She whispered.
”I am.”
”Plus…” Caleb said loudly, making all attention turn to him. “Didn’t want Mirabel to go down the same path I did. Because… I’ve been in her place before.” He gave the family a tired smile. “So trust me, I know what to do.”
There was a moment of silence, where Julieta walked over to her daughter and cupped her cheeks. “Mi vida… I’m going to hate what I’m going to say… But I think you should go.” The girl’s eyes widened a bit. “We haven’t been a good family, but we will fix this for when you return.”
”Because she will come back!” Caleb said suddenly. “Just wanted to make that clear.”
”Good.” The eldest triplet nodded, then looked back at her daughter. ‘You are amazing and special in your own way. These people… obviously helped you more than we ever could. So… You can go.”
Mirabel gave her a wet smile, and hugged her, all the rest of the Madrigals joining in swiftly. Caleb and his little group all watched the scene with a smile, only for Sparky to perk up.
”Oh, right!” He said with a smile. “The ship is ready, so we should get going.”
”Well said, Sparky. C’mon gang!” Caleb started to leave, leading his friends back towards the jungle. Mairabel waved goodbye before skipping after them. Gladius hung back, however, as he turned and faced the family.
”Fair warning”, he said. “Our mode of transport is bizarre. All I can say is… keep an eye on the sky.” He flew off after his companions, leaving the family in confusion.
But as the strangers left, Isabela and Dolores shared a look and nod.
~X~
The final bits of cleanup at camp went smoothly. Mirabel sat on one of the downed trees, watching as Ransack and Crumplezone worked together to empty the clearing that bit more so the takeoff could be as smooth as possible.
”So, you two just race and that’s it?” She asked, a curious glint in her eyes.
”Yep!” Ransack said proudly, thumping his chest. “We’ve won a few races against some of the heavy hitters on Velocitron!”
”Do you guys have trophies back home?”
”Velocitron doesn’t do trophies”, Crumplezone explained. “At least, not unless you win the Planet Cup. But Override, our planet’s leader, she’s too fast. Closest we got to beating her was when we tricked her and Dirt Boss down the wrong road.”
Mirabel pursed her lips, and glared at the two Transformers. “So you two are hooligans?”
”I more prefer the term punks”, Ransack corrected. “And that’s only on the race track.”
”Plus”, CZ added. “Races back home are really dangerous. There’s been times me and Ransack were blown up right at the start because someone cat in front and dropped a mine.”
The girl frowned. “Oh… So there’s no rules?”
”Not that we know of”, Ransack mumbled. “They say there are rules, but no one has told anyone what they are. So me and CZ think it’s all smoke and mirrors to make it more interesting.”
Mirabel hummed and nodded, standing up and walking off to let the two robots work away. Heading elsewhere, she passed by Sparky and Zig, who were loading up the last supplies as Bernie and X-5 did a last run through. Continuing along, she smiled as she came up to the duos of Marina & Sharko, and Caleb & Kat. Gladius was busy keeping watch for anything dangerous.
They all looked over at her, and smiled. “You look ready to go, Mirabel”, the boy said, grinning.
”You know it!” Mira responded happily. “And I will say this: When we get back to the Capital, I’m going to try and make everyone something. Maybe I can embroider or something, I don’t know.”
”I’m sure whatever you come up with, Mira, will be amazing!” Katania cheered. Marina squealed in delight, and Sharko nodded with a grin. But it fell when he sensed something, so he snuck off to get the jump on it.
As the now quartet talked, they didn’t catch the nearby bushes rustling. But when they finally did, Caleb was picked up when Luisa grabbed him and held him up.
”What the?!” He cried as the others jumped back. The boy looked in shock as the strongwoman was suddenly flanked by Isabela, Dolores and Camilo.
”What are you guys doing here?!” Mirabel cried out in shock.
”Just get out of here, sis!” La Senorita Perfecta spat. “Something about these guys is fishy, and we aren’t letting you go with them. So go back to Mama, now!”
”No!” The younger girl shouted back angrily. “What, are you just angry because I ruined your perfect engagement?”
The older sister growled. “You won’t get it. Just listen to what your big sis says, now.”
”C’mon, Mira, let’s leave these guys”, Camilo said nonchalantly. “Heck, if we’re lucky Luisa will cream this kid.”
”I’m older than you”, Caleb said flatly.
”I never agreed to that”, Luisa shot back.
Dolores flicked her brother’s ear, and looked at Caleb. “No matter what you say, it won’t change our minds. Mirabel is coming home.”
The boy rolled his eyes. “What about him?” He said, pointing behind the intrusive Madrigals.
They all looked at him in confusion, only to pale when a harsh breath blew on them. Turning around slowly, they were greeted with the terrifying Sharko, giving them all a glare. Then, he roared in their faces, almost knocking them off their feet. When he stopped, Luisa released Caleb, and the second generation of Madrigal and stumbled.
”W-W-What?” Luisa stammered. “How’s a shark here?!”
”Meet Sharko”, Mirabel said With a thankful smile shot at the shark. “Who’s just as strong as you. So you better be careful.” She turned around. “Oh! And this is Ransack and Crumplezone.
The intrusive quartet turned around, and paled even more when they saw both the towering Transformers glaring down at them.
”Trying to take our friend away?” CZ said in a threatening tone.
Luisa finally fainted, and Calen sighed. “Look, I know you four don’t trust us. But believe me when I say we don’t want to hurt Mirabel. But, at this point, I feel like showing is better than telling…”
He pulled Mirabel to the side. “Do you want them to tag along at all?” He whispered.
”Why are you asking me?” She whispered back.
”Because I know you. Do you want them to come along?”
Mirabel opened her mouth, but after hesitating for a moment she closed it. Then, with a sigh, she turned to address her family. “Look, There’s a lot you guys need to fix, even if you don’t want to…” She subtly glanced at Isabela. “But I don’t want to fully leave. At least, not without bringing someone else along. And since you guys decided to pull this, you can tag along.”
”Do we get a say in this?” Camilo asked.
”Do you want to miss an opportunity to see other worlds?” Caleb asked with a smirk. “If no, then get on the ship!”
The shapeshifter didn’t hesitate as he walked on towards the ship, quickly heading inside. After a bit of hesitation, Isabela followed him, giving her youngest sister a complicated look. Mira just looked away angrily.
Shortly after, Dolores let out a squeak, and darted after her brother. Luisa was carried in by Sharko, and the others all followed them inside. The strongwoman, who was slowly coming out of her fainting spell, was set down at the table. All the Madrigals sat at the table with her, silently soaking in each other’s company.
Caleb gave them a pinched look, waiting by the open access ramp for Gladius to return. Thankfully, the sword showed up shortly after, giving the Madrigals a look.
”I had a feeling it wouldn’t just be Mirabel”, he whispered.
Caleb shrugged, then smiled. “The more the merrier. Hey, guys!” He called out at the Madrigals, earning their attention. “Follow me to the bridge. You’re gonna want to see take off.”
They all shared a look, and followed the bot to the front of the ship. Caleb greeted everyone there, and went back over to the slot Gladius had made. He looked over his shoulder, and when Mirabel nodded with a smile, The boy stabbed the blade inside the slot.
As the ship crackled with energy, Sparky started to take it into the air. The Madrigals all shifted on their feet, then looked outside. With wide-eyes, they watched as the strange vehicle they were in went higher and higher, fear and excitement coursing through them.
Kat held Mirabel’s hand as the boy synced with the sword, making the ship's tractor beam shoot out and open a portal before them. Before they headed. into it, Mirabel looked out the front window back towards her home, and waved goodbye. In a blur, the ship shot into the portal, and disappeared in a flash of colours…
~X~
And that’s the Encanto arc all done and dusted! This chapter was shorter than the others, yes, but after how long the other chapters were, I deserve an easy one. Plus, with these author’s notes, it’s already pushing 5k, so it’s not nothing.
Anyway… Yep, more Madrigals are joining the journey! Isabela, Dolores, Luisa and Camilo, all set to add their unique and dynamic personalities to this little adventure. Trust me, when you see where the next arc takes place, you’ll get why they work so much.
But yeah, an arc I was super excited for is finally done. 23 chapters, and I’m still going strong. Getting ever so closer to that coveted 0ne million total words for this series, and almost at the point I can go “Now that’s something to be proud of.”
FYI, while I won’t start it now, I was thinking of another story idea. I won’t share what it is, but it takes place before this story and isn’t a one-shot. So I hope y’all are excited!
Be sure to leave a review/comment, and think about joining my art collab!
Up next: Now with all the Madrigals tagging along, the group crash again to see themselves in a world sucked of colour and fun, forcing them to fight against a deranged dictator…
~Kat~
Chapter 24: College Regime
Summary:
After another crash landing, the group finds themselves on a college campus caught up in the middle of a revolution. Only this one is much more… Colourful…
Chapter Text
Caleb sighed as he leaned against the cruiser’s front console, watching as the tunnel of spiralling colours and harmonious voices moved to an almost sort of vague beat. Maybe that was a consequence of coming immediately from a world centred around a musical. But even with that, there was an aura of unease circling around him and the others.
Katania, Betty and her team were the only ones still in the bridge with him, as everyone else was in the back. With Mirabel’s sisters and cousins accidentally tagging along… It made tension visibly well up in the giftless girl’s eyes. She had run off to one of the storage rooms to cool off, with Gladius and Marina chasing after her.
The rest of the Madrigals still hadn’t left the table. Maybe it was because of nerves, guilt, a combination of the two… Or the fact that Sharko had decided to keep a close eye on them.
Whatever reason it was, the mood in the ship was weird, leaving the two Capital residents to ponder what to do.
”We should do something, Caleb”, Katania said in quiet concern. “I know Mira was okay with us bringing her family along, but… yeah, look, I don’t trust them.”
”Luisa did almost snap me like a twig…” The boy said in a frightful tone, hand going over where the strongwoman had grabbed him. “But they aren’t bad people. We just… need to make sure they don’t do anything drastic.”
”Good thing they can’t”, Sparky spoke up, turning to face the duo. “Them losing their gifts makes them easy to handle. To the point I bet the bolt brain could too!”
X-5 growled and glared at his teammate. “Even still, I know Luisa and Isabela would show you that they aren’t that much different from the captain!”
As the two of them devolved into their petty bickering, Betty deflated with a frustrated sigh. “Guys, seriously?” She gave Kat and Caleb a deadpan look. “Another reason I wanted to tag along with you guys was to hope these two would stop arguing like this.”
”They just don’t fully click, I get that”, the boy said with a shrug. “Give it time, they’ll reach a compromise. Hopefully.”
The Galactic Guardian gave her friend a blank look, then looked back to her bickering teammates. “Okay, guys, enough!” Her order made them both shut up. “Just focus on making sure we don’t crash next time. The sooner we get to the… Capital…” The Capital duo nodded, “the better. So c’mon, start calling each other names and work together.”
”Right!” Sparky said.
”Understood, captain”, X-5 said. The robot and pilot gave each other one last stink eye before getting back to work. The others all gave the duo an eye roll, before Caleb let out a sigh.
”Well, that’s enough reason to let me leave you three be and do your thing”, he said, giving Betty a sympathetic look. “I’m going to find Mirabel and talk to her, good luck gang!”
He gave a salute as he left, his best friend right behind him as they left. As the two of them headed into the rest of the ship, they ran into Zig and Bernie, who were standing in a doorway looking down the hall. When Clad slid up next to them, he followed their gaze to see the rest of the Madrigals all sitting at the table in an uncomfortable silence.
Looking closer, Caleb could make out their expressions… for the most part. Dolores looked uncomfortable, with wide eyes darting about like she had just woken up from a coma. Luisa seemed more disturbed, looking out the window as a gleam of homesickness flashed in her eyes. Camilo was the most relaxed, but there was still a noticeable tension in his shoulders.
Isabela was facing away, but from the tiniest bit of her visible face, she looked… Honestly, Caleb couldn’t tell how she was feeling. The eldest of the second Madrigal generation was obviously struggling, but how she was expressing it was impossible to tell due to the shadows covering her face.
”Is Isabela okay?” Katania asked quietly.
Zig mumbled how she’s been like this since they entered the portal, and especially after Mirabel ran past earlier to find a quiet space. Bernie nodded and said Luisa tried to talk to the eldest grandkid, only to be ignored.
Caleb pursed his lips and looked at the group, uncertainty welling up inside him. This tension obviously wasn’t going to leave unless the Madrigals all talked to the one member they wronged, but that shouldn’t be forced. So with a sigh, Caleb and Katania continued along their way. They passed by the quiet group sitting at the table, who all looked over at them with varying expressions.
The duo ignored them, and rather waved to a nearby Sharko, who happily waved back. Then they left the kitchen and made their way towards a storage room door that was opened a bit. Stepping inside, they saw Mirabel sitting on a box, looking down sadly as Maria sat beside her. The mermaid was rubbing the giftless girl’s back reassuringly, while Gladius hovered around aimlessly above. When the duo approached, the others looked over.
Mirabel smiled weakly and sniffed. “Hey guys…” She said sadly. “Sorry I ran off, I just…” She trailed off, and Katania sat on her otherside.
”You need some space away, I get that”, Caleb said. Gladius hovered down next to him, and the boy and blade shared a look. “I’m assuming you didn’t really want to bring them along?”
”I did!” The bespectacled girl cried back. “It’s just… There’s all the tension and messiness and bad memories. I thought they’d want to talk, but all they do is just give me these weird looks…”
”They’re confused by… all of this”, Katania said, gesturing around. “Finding out your little sister slash cousin has friends who come from other worlds seems unbelievable.”
Marina nodded and gestured to herself, going on about how frustrated she can get with how people see she’s a mermaid.
Mirabel giggled, and smiled just a bit. “Yeah, that’s true. I just… I just want things to get better.”
”It takes time, Mirabel”, Gladius said in a protective tone. Give them time to process, and soon they’ll come to you for forgiveness. To mend the bridges that were burned.”
”I know… I’m just worried about Isabela…” Mirabel’s face twisted in light anger. “I still don’t buy that she came to ‘save me’. She was probably just going to drag me back so she could scream at me for ruining her perfect life.”
Katania and Marina snorted. “A stuck up bitch like her needs to be taught a single word: NO.” The general’s daughter started to laugh, while Marina just giggled. Gladius huffed and shook his head, while Caleb simply pursed his lips in silence. Turning around towards the door, his eyes widened for a moment when he just barely caught Isabela’s pained face through the barely open door.
When she met his gaze, she darted off, and the boy looked at where she once was with a sad look. But then she shook his head, looked at the others, and discreetly left them to their own devices. Heading back out into the hall of the ship, he looked down towards where the bathroom was, hearing the sounds of running water.
Carefully, he walked over and leaned against the wall next to the door, listening to what was going on inside.
”You messed up, Isa…” Isabela said to herself quietly. “When you thought you were protecting your sister, you were only hurting her. I can’t… What have I done?”
”You need to talk to her”, Caleb said.
The sounds inside the bathroom fell silent, and Isabela walked out and gave the boy a shocked look. “You heard that?”
”Yes”, Caleb faced the young woman with a stern look. “I know there’s tension between you two, but just standing to the side giving your sister these weird looks and still acting like the spoiled brat will only make things worse!”
”I know!” Isa hissed, looking around in worry. “I’m just… scared…”
”Scared of what? Alma isn’t here.”
Isabela gave the boy an unreadable look, then off to the side. “I will when I can. Because… I just don’t know if Mira would want to talk to me…”
Caleb sighed. “I get that, Isa. But that’s why you need to talk to Mira and make it clear why.” He turned and started to walk back down the hall, only to be stopped when Isabela grabbed his arm.
”I’m sorry”, she said. “For… For back at the Encanto before we left…”
Caleb looked back at her with a neutral face for a moment, then smiled. “That’s a step in the right direction. And don’t worry, there’s no hard feelings.” Isa let go and the boy headed back down the hall, leaving the flower girl to stand and ponder.
After a moment, she sighed and looked up at the ceiling, hoping she could make things up to her sister. She shook her head and started to walk back down the hall, only to stop when the intercom crackled to life.
”We’re reaching the end of this tunnel, gang!” Sparky’s voice echoed out through the speakers. “So if you want to see where we end up, head to the bridge!”
Isabela blinked, only to jump back when the storage room door opened. Those that were inside started to walk towards the front, but as they walked, Mira gave Isa a look.
There was no obvious emotion in the youngest’s gaze, but the hurt was there. The flower girl’s heart was hit with a pang, and she stepped forward. “Mira-”
She was cut off when the ship shook violently, making everyone who was still standing to stumble around on their feet. Caleb looked back at the others, and rushed towards the front of the ship.
He burst onto the scene, and immediately saw the console sparking and flashing, with Sparky and X-5 fighting to keep the engines on.
”What happened?!” The boy cried as Gladius and Katania came to his side.
”We were struck by an electromagnetic bolt”, X-5 said, working fast to make sure the ship didn’t die.
”I really hope that doesn’t mean what I think it means…” Caleb whispered at Gladius, making the sword gulp nervously. Katania paled, and rushed over to Sparky.
”Sparky, try rerouting the power to the main engine and stabilizing the wings”, she said.
”How do you know that?” The pilot asked in a panicked tone.
”My mom’s the general of the Capital’s army, she taught me about most vehicles in case of emergency.”
The pilot nodded and did as he was told, the ship being hit with a second bolt of lightning right then. But thanks to Kat’s instructions, the ship was able to stabilize with ease.
Everyone who was in the cockpit breathed a sigh of relief, and started congratulating the general’s daughter and pilot for their quick thinking. But the brief joy died down as everyone saw something drift past. Looking out the front window, they saw an unconscious large robot with red start to race towards the tunnel’s end.
There was a beat of silence.
“RANSACK!!!” Everyone that could cried out. The rest of the Madrigals all made it to the bridge’s entrance, only to be thrown back when Sparky hit full throttle on the ship’s engine.
Crumplezone, who wasn't hit by either lighting bolt, started to reach out towards his partner. The ship got closer and closer by the second, but Ransack’s limp body just barely remained out of reach. Just as the unconscious Transformer and ship flew through the light at the end, CZ was able to grab on. But things immediately spiralled more as the ship skipped on some building rooftops, and crashed into the ground below.
Everyone was thankfully uninjured, but groaned as they stood back up.
”X-5…” Betty said as she picked herself off the ground, having been thrown out of her chair. “Status report.”
”The ship only experienced minor exterior damage captain”, the robot responded. “But there appears to be some inky black obstructing our view.”
Everyone in the bridge looked up at the front window, and sure enough there was some sort of black substance covering the whole thing.
”Looks like black paint”, Mirabel said, adjusting her glasses.
Caleb squinted, trying to make out the location around the splotch. All he could make out was a grey sky and bleach white buildings.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt like this was scarily familiar. He headed out of the bridge after everyone, and watched as Sharko kicked the bottom hatch open. That seemed to get the ship into a correct landing position, making everyone stumble around a bit. Luckily, they all recovered and followed the shark outside. The other Madrigals all tried to follow, but Dolores let out a pained squeak, making everyone look at her in concern.
”Dolores, are you okay?” Camilo asked. “What’s wrong?”
”My… Gift…” She strained out. “It’s… back… Too… Loud…”
Gladius gasped and rushed over, pressing his wings over her ears. Luisa and Isabela moved to stop him, but they stopped in surprise when they saw Dolores relax greatly.
”Gracias…” She whispered to the blade. “But… How, I thought the miracle died?”
”Wait, does that mean…” Camilo trailed off, shifting into a direct copy of Katania. She gave him a glare and smacked him, making him shift back. Isabela waved her hand, and flowers appeared from nowhere. Luisa walked over to Sharko and picked him us with ease, a look of confusion on her face.
”Gladius…” Mirabel began. “I thought the miracle was snuffed out, how does everyone still have their gifts?”
“Yes, I felt this would happen…” The sword started to hover over the whole group as he explained. “See, the miracle bestowed you with your gifts at five, but after that point it was just a power source of sorts for it. When it was destroyed because of the lack of love, you kept your gifts. They just… didn’t have their generator, is the best way I can describe it.”
”So… we never really lost our gifts?” Isabela asked, looking at Mirabel carefully.
”Correct, Isa. But, due to you no longer being in your world, since your gifts are a part of you, the whole power source restriction is removed as an innate defense mechanism.” He looked back at Dolores. “For you, since it has more negative drawbacks, I simply suppressed it so you can only hear our heartbeats.”
The gifted Madrigals all shared looks, then looked at their giftless relative. She looked a bit uncomfortable, only to make a shocked sound when Camilo suddenly pulled her into a one-armed hug.
”Well, that doesn’t change a thing”, the shapeshifter said. “We still have a lot to do, so c’mon Mira!” He grabbed her by the hand and started to drag her outside. “It’s time for the twin terrors to get back together!”
Dolores cursed as she followed them. “When I thought it was over…”
Isabela and Luisa shared a look, and smiled lightly, following their family. Caleb sighed with a smile, and joined them as everyone else headed out. Upon stepping outside, the group were shocked to see the state this world was in. It was a city of some kind, but with grey skies, dead looking water and stark-white buildings, it was a stark contrast to the Encanto.
”Sooooooo…. Where are we…” Luisa asked nervously.
Caleb blinked and looked down at the ground, seeing a white helmet. Carefully, he walked over to it and picked it up. It was blank, but when he turned it around, his heart stopped. There was a logo on the helmet, one that he recognised.
It was teardrop with a star in the bottom.
”Shit…” Caleb said as he dropped the helmet.
Crumplezone looked over, holding a still unconscious Ransack. “Kid? What’s wrong?” Everyone else looked over, and Caleb faced them.
But before he could speak, there was a rush of footsteps. The group all looked over to see a rush of strange beings come around the corner. There were more guys wearing the helmets, and some that had things that resembled flamethrowers.
”INKY!!!” One of the black beings cried angrily, pointing his baton at the group. Its single robotic eye reflected its anger, and the whole small squad squared up for a brawl.
Caleb took a few steps back, and gulped fearfully. “Guys, I hope you’re ready to overthrow a corrupt dictatorship…”
The squad of angry beings rushed forwards, and the group all readied themselves for an all out brawl…
~X~
The brawl in the street was violent but honestly not that hard. The strange beings kept throwing themselves at their targets, but Luisa and Sharko were just squashing them with ease; Betty, Sparky, Zig and Bernie were also chipping in; CZ was playing both warrior and Ransack’s caretaker.
The others were all hiding behind the ship, trying to not get involved.
”So you know where we are, Caleb?” Katania asked in worry. “Because if you do and this is the welcome… I’m not looking forward to what happens.”
”We’re in Chroma City”, Caleb explained. “Long story short, the INKT Corporation is a racist dictatorship that hates colours and music, and they’ve completely taken the city over after rigging the election.”
”Oh well that’s great!” Mirabel cried. “So what do we do?”
Caleb looked down in thought, then his eyes flashed with an idea. Looking behind the group, he gazed up at the buildings and smiled.
”X-5, when Zig and Bernie are done with the Inkies, I need you three to build some paintball guns for us.”
”What?” The robot responded in confusion.
”And Isa, I need you to try and make pollen pods.”
”B-But… what?” The flower girl looked at him in confusion. “What the heck is that?”
”A ball of coloured pollen, just make one so I can show what I mean!” The boy held out his hand, and the eldest Madrigal caved. With the flick of her hand, a red ball of pollen formed in his hand. Then, with a surprising amount of strength, he threw it at a nearby building. It splattered against the wall, and the whole building was suddenly coloured in completely.
Everyone present looked over in shock, including those fighting the last of the Inkies.
”We need to paint this place! So go wild!”
The team all rushed to do their own thing, with Isa tossing out pollen pods indiscriminately, Sharko smashing a nearby tank of yellow paint and directing the spray towards some of the buildings. The tech trio came out of the ship with repurposed Inky spray guns as paint launchers and hanged them out to Caleb, Katania, Mirabel, Camilo and Marina.
When they were all set, the group started causing all the colourful chaos they could. Buildings, streetlight, benches and signs all were coated in a combination of paint and pollen, making the block a standout in the dull location.
As the group continued to paint, there was an explosion. Looking over, they saw a black fence that was there originally was gone, revealing a new location that was already painted, and two beings came over.
One was a simple blob coloured blue, who had two ears and arms, but not much else. Beside him was a hovering pink robot with a screen on its chest, and a blue LED screen for eyes.
”Oh, hello”, the robot said. “Who are all of you?”
”Just… travellers”, Caleb said as he adjusted his gun. “We saw what was going on before we crashed, and decided to help.”
The blob and robot looked around at the finished colour jobs, and nodded. “Alright! My name’s Pinky, and this is Blob”, the robot gestured to herself then the paint blob. “We’re part of the Colour Revolution, here to fight back against the INKT Corporation!” She fired a coloured energy shot out of one of her hands, hitting a distant Inky and splatting it.
”Awesome!” Katania cheered. “So, how do you paint stuff, Blob?”
Blob smiled and dashed over to a walking little robot filled with red paint, turning purple. He then jumped over to some unpainted buildings, making them the same colour as his body.
”Okay, that’s cool”, Camilo said in an impressed tone. “A living thing of paint, you don’t see that every day.”
When Blob finished painting the chunk of buildings, one of the doors opened and out spilled a bunch of people in grey bulky suits. Before Mirabel could ask who they were, Blob ran over them, making the suits explode open and having people of various colours jump out with cheers.
”Paint the buildings, free the Graydians”, Pinky said as she started to fly up. “We’ll explain things more after we liberate the State College!” She flew off, dealing with some jumping Leechbots that tried to latch onto her.
Caleb smiled as she went off, and gestured for his friends to follow. CZ lifted Ransack up and followed carefully, making sure not to crush anyone. As the group ran through the college, painting buildings and freeing the students and staff as they went along. At one point, Blob entered a building, and after a few moments, there was an explosion of light and colour, and the Building changed from the harsh INKT black, to a more colourful building that fit the school setting.
When they reached the stage for theatre performances, Caleb looked out over a massive cliff. The sky was starting to clear up, and there was a bumpy, jazzy tune starting to sound off in the background.
“This place is pretty beautiful…” Katania said as she slid up next to her friend. It’s… nice.”
”It wasn’t always like this”, Pinky said as she and Gladius joined the duo. “Before Blob and I even showed up, Comrade Black had spread distrust and corruption in the city. All under the guise of Papa Blanc.”
Gladius shook his head and growled. “Such a corrupt, toxic person. How could this city let someone like him into power?”
”He rigged the election”, Pinky said. “But even then, between his cult, the already messy city, and just… poor choices… Black was able to gain control. Which is why I called the Colour Underground to help us out.”
”You have to deal with Blank a lot, don’t you huh?” Caleb asked.
”More than we would like. Even after he was beaten in Chroma City, he was able to build himself back up from nothing on a deserted island, and look at everything now…” Pinky looked back at the unpainted part of the college, letting out a sad sigh. “Prisma City bleached like Chroma…”
Caleb pat the robot on the arm reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Pinky, we’ll help out you and the rest of the Colour Underground the best we can. Now… I want to blast some Inkies, c’mon guys!”
The group all shared grins or excited looks, and rushed forward, knocking back and blasting Inkies along the way. Blob was running and jumping along overhead, painting buildings and freeing Graydians. X-5 was above next to the Colour Underground’s blimp in the Galactic Crusier, staying out of the way with Dolores. Mirabel, her sisters and Camilo were off towards the end of the creative arts section of the campu, with the flower girl looking a bit uncharastically happy. Mira watched her older sister with a blank look, unsure how to feel, only to have her paint gun blasted away from some shot of ink.
Looking over, she gasped when she saw a heavily armoured Inky wearing a red helmet before her. The inky, in a deeper voice than the others, posed then started spinning like a top after her. The giftless Madrigal ran over to her gun and quickly picked it up, but when she fired she was horrified her blue baring had no effect.
The Inky just wiped the paint off and laughed darkly, lobbing another toxic ink ball at Mira. She cried out and dodged, forgoing her weapon to lift any excess weight. As she ran towards the blocked off stairwell to the college’s science sector, Isabela caught sight of what was happening from one of the rooftops.
”An Elite Inky!” Pinky cried out. “Blob, get some red now!”
Isa’s eyes widened, and she watched as her baby sister was pinned, about to be slashed by the elite Inky’s pen-like arm cannons. With a protective rage filling her, the flower girl formed a vine and swung down, slamming the Inky in the side of the head. Mirabel watched the scene in confusion, said confusion only growing as Isabela stomped up to the Inky, creating two massive red flowers next to her.
”How dare you attack my sister”, the flower girl snarled. “You have no right to touch even a hair on her head, and you think you can corner her like that?”
The inky just scoffed and lobbed a few ink bolts, but they were deflected by the flowers.
”No one hurts Mira!” Isabela formed a fist and made a slamming motion, which made the two red flowers crush the Elite Inky in a single blow. The two plants shriveled up as they sucked in the ink, but Isa just made a beeline for her sister and started looking her over.
”Mira, are you okay?” The eldest girl asked rapidly.
”I don’t understand…” Was all Mirabel could get out.
”You were just attacked! I’m making sure you aren’t-”
”No.” The bespectacled girl pulled away. “I don’t understand why it’s YOU. Don’t you hate me?”
Isabela opened her mouth, the hairs open the back of her neck standing on end as the others started to form a silent audience behind them. Luisa went to stop a potential argument, but was stopped by Caleb, who just shook his head.
”I don’t… It’s not…” Isabela sighed. “When we’re done here, can we talk?”
Mirabel nodded, hurt and confusion still bouncing behind her eyes. Caleb let out a sigh, a semi-disappointed look on his face, but he didn’t press. Because he knew this was a step in the right direction.
”If either of you want”, Pinky said as she got between the two sisters. “We can take you up to our blimp so you can get more peace and quiet.”
”We’ll take that”, Isabela said with a sad smile. “And bring Luisa too.”
The robot nodded, then looked around. “Alright, you guys might want to stand back. I’m placing a transform engine, and I don’t want you getting caught in this blast.”
The group didn’t need to be told twice as they all ran for cover, and watched as Blob slammed the small glass ball with a plant inside. After he did, he slowly started to rise into the air, and after a few seconds, he exploded with a burst of energy that coloured the rest of the ground and trees, and made all the surrounding freed Graydians cheer. The fence blocking their path was destroyed, and the team all shared a nod. Caleb, holding his gun tight, rushed forward after Blob and Pinky, the others not far behind.
~X~
Taking care of the rest of the college was easy, and soon the whole place was liberated completely. Not one Inky was left, and everyone was saved. So the group were picked up by the ship and were off to the next stop, following the Colour Underground’s blimp.
All except Mirabel, Luisa and Isabela, who were on the blimp.
The youngest and eldest sister both leaned against the railing, looking out to the passing clouds. Luisa was below deck with Blob and Pinky’s friend Biff, both of them doing some light sparring.
After a moment of silence between the two, Mirabel sighed. “Alright, so, tell me Isa, what’s going on?” She looked at her sister. “Why did you save me? I thought you’d be happy to let me die after how I ruined your perfect life.”
Isabela hesitated for a moment, then swallowed thickly. “I… I never would want you to die…” She began. “I never did hate you…”
”Then why the passive aggressive comments? The jabs at my expense? The constant ‘Don’t get in the way’?”
”I was jealous!” Isabela shouted. She blinked with wide eyes, taking in Mirabel’s shocked expression. “I was jealous. Because you… didn’t get a gift…”
”What? But my life was miserable without a gift, why were you jealous of that?”
”because you didn’t have to deal with the same pressure we did. All of the rest of the Familia were cracking and struggling, and I was the worst of it. Before you were born, I was wild and free. But after I got my gift, Abuela basically saw herself when she looked at me. So she… Tried to make me like her…”
Mirabel remained silent, making Isa continue. “I was constantly expected to be perfect, to smile and be someone the town could be proud of. But I was dying inside. I genuinely thought Tio Bruno was wrong when he gave me my vision. ‘All my dreams will come true’? As is, I was just Abuela’s puppet…”
”Isa-”
”And after you didn’t get your gift”, the flower girl paced as she ranted. “I saw how you were ignored. How you were not given the endless jobs we had to do. You weren’t like me, who was constantly waiting for that moment to scream at Abuela for everything… So I got jealous. And somewhere I thought I was protecting you from Abuela’s scowls and stuff by being so perfect, by being…”
”A bitch?” Mira finished. The flower girl looked over at her sister in shock. “Caleb taught me that… And after he did that’s all I saw you as. I looked back at how you treated me and I hated that you treated me as… lower than you…”
”I know…” Isabela slumped against the railing, looking drained. “I hate how bad I became, how much I hurt you when you did nothing. I was so jealous I was blind to the fact you were just as hurt as the rest of us. Just in a different way…”
Mirabel frowned, and moved ever so slightly closer. “You know, deep down, I never could stop loving you. You were still my big sister, and I was always hoping you’d apologise…”
A few tears trickled from Isabela’s eyes. “I know, and that’s what I’m doing now…” There was a lull in the conversation, and the flower girl looked over at her sister. “You didn’t ruin the engagement dinner for me…”
Mira’s eyes widened, and she looked over. “Wait, really? But why?”
Isa shrugged. “I never loved Mariano like that. He’s not my type, but I only went through with it because Abuela thought we’d be perfect together… And I could tell she was still stung about how Mama and Tia’s weddings went.”
Mirabel groaned and slumped onto the blimp’s deck. “Abuela really broke our family, huh?”
”She did start it, but none of us really could say no. We never had the backbone.” Isabela looked down at Mirabel. “Except you.” She sighed, and the younger girl stood back up. “Mira, I mean it, I am sorry. I’m sorry for everything. For the name calling, the jabs, the demands, the flipping my hair in your face, the flowers, my anger at the engagement party, dragging you towards Abuela… All of it.”
There was a bout of silence as Mirabel took in all that was said, scanning Isabela’s face for any trace of dishonesty. But there wasn’t none, just the cracked facade of the perfect girl, letting the true form shine through.
After a few more moments, Mirabel smiled. “Isa, I can’t just forget all the hurt you dumped onto me. BUT…” Isabela, who was deflating, looked up in shock. “I still want to have a connection with you. So if you really mean to me that you want to be better… Then I forgive you.”
Isabela gave a watery smile and wiped her eyes. “Thank you, Mira. I promise, I’ll be a better sister to you and Lulu.”
On cue, Luisa walked out onto the deck, sporting a somewhat sheepish grin. “That’s… That means a lot, Isa.”
The strongwoman pulled her sisters into a group hug, and the three of them shared a bonding moment that they haven’t shared in years. From the Galactic Cruiser, which was next to the blimp, Caleb watched through one of the windows with a smile.
He beamed as Katania and Gladius came up to his sides, giving him a curious look. “So, did they make up?” Kat asked.
”They did”, Dolores said as she stood close by. “I never knew Isa was that… trapped…”
”You were just a gossip machine, Dolores”, Gladius said sadly. “You weren’t truly allowed to care. So consider yourself thankful we showed up.”
The doe hummed thoughtfully. “I suppose so…” She walked off, a somewhat happy look behind her eyes. Caleb smiled, taking a deep breath.
”Well, let’s get ready for the next drop, gang”, the boy told his friends. “Because we’d got a dictatorship to help trash!”
”This is fun!” Katania said excitedly. “Viva La Revolution!”
Gladius laughed as the girl ran off, following his friends towards where they stored their paint guns. Because it was time to splash this world with a bit of Capital branded chaos…
~X~
And so that’s chapter 24 done! For those who don’t know, this world is the one from De Blob, the duology made by THQ back in the Wii era. This arc in particular takes place turning De Blob 2, starting with the level State College. The level that’s the real start of the game after some set up.
This one was a bit lacking in the actual De Blob stuff, yes, but trust me when I say the next chapters will definitely focus on them. So when we get to them, you’ll love what happens, trust me.
Also, yes, Mirabel and Isabela made up, so expect more with them together in the coming chapters as well.
Anyway, that’s all I have to say this time. So be sure to send your love and such, and leave a comment!
Up next: The group, now with a new temporary mission in front of them, find themselves at a series of towering soda factories…
~Kat~
Chapter 25: Crush The Fanta
Summary:
The next stop brings the group to a series of towers dotted about the misty mountain landscape, each one built for a significant purpose. Better watch your step, I heard the fall takes a while…
Chapter Text
Caleb took a deep breath as the wind rushed past his face. Looking to the side, he smiled lightly as he watched Gladius glide calmly beside the blimp with Pinky. Blob, who was to the boy’s left, let out a peaceful sigh. Biff, the orange buff member of the Colour Underground, was steering as Luisa and Zig stood nearby, simply keeping him company. Mirabel and Isabela had run off with Arty somewhere, and the rest of the group were in Betty’s cruiser, which was flying to the blimps right.
The bespectacled boy blinked and looked ahead, squinting to try and see anything through the thick grey clouds. There was a miserable droning in the air, which didn’t help stop the unease in his chest.
”Where are we even going, anyway?” Luisa asked out loud.
”Soda Falls”, Biff said in a gruff tone. “Prisma City’s main soda plant.”
”INKT has taken over everything to make the seven towers manufacture their awful Blanc Cola”, Pinky said as she hovered back onto the blimp with Gladius. “Prof said the stuff smells, and can hypnotize you into wanting more.”
Zig gagged and Luisa shivered. “That sounds awful”, the strongwoman said. “And everyone is being forced to drink this?”
”Just the places we haven’t saved yet”, Biff added. “The rest of Prisma City should be okay as long as they think smart.”
Blob huffed and looked off to the side, making Pinky artificially clear her throat. “More IF they think smart. Things weren’t… great, when we first made it to Downtown… But hopefully with Blanctown taken care of and Comrade Black exposed, hopefully the Prismans will try to be better with their lives.”
Zig growled and dashed over to the railing, leaning over as he scanned the non-existent surroundings. Caleb rolled his eyes and walked over to the side of the blimp deck that was closer to Betty’s cruiser. He leaned against the railing, but jumped back a bit when Prof, sitting in his orange hover chair, rushed out in a worry.
”That’s wrong, Prof?” Pinky asked.
The older Raydian sighed, taking off his monocle and wiping it. “Sparky drank some of the Blanc Cola I was studying, and now he’s stuck in a warped state. X-5 locked him in a storage room till the hypnotism wears off.”
”Crap…” Caleb muttered.
”How long will this last?” Gladius asked in worry.
”About a few hours”, the professor said. “But if we get him some soda from the Mucho Mocha tower after we liberate it, it should snap him out of it instantly.”
”So we have incentive to get this done quickly but thoroughly.” The sword spun around to look down at Caleb. “Only a few of us should go down as to minimize any complications.”
”The towers are much too small for Ransack and Crumplezone”, Prof said sternly. “So it’s best they stay up here.”
”We’ll tag along!” A new voice shouted. Looking over, Caleb and Gladius smiled as they saw Mirabel and Isabela run onto the deck. While Mira looked as she always did, Isa now had coloured highlights in her hair, and her lavender dress was stained with various colourful splotches.
”Isa, I like the upgrade!” Caleb complimented. Zig let out a few whistles, and Luisa smiled proudly.
”Yeah…” The flower girl Said wistfully. “You can thank Mira for this. Who knew it, but she brings out the best in me.”
”Aka encourage her to let loose more”, the bespectacled girl said with a smirk. The eldest madrigal huffed, making everyone quietly laugh. “And we’ll tag along for this… soda place… so we can really see what you can do! Then when we get back home, we’ll remodel your room.”
Isabela’s smile twitched a bit, and a very brief look of panic flashed behind her eyes at the mention of ‘home’, but she brushed it off when she turned to Arty, who walked onto the decks right at that moment. “When are we going to get there, anyway?”
”Very soon”, the green Raydian liberator said with a smile. “If we’re fast, we can get to the Hydro Station in only a few hours!”
”Make that a bit sooner!” The blue Raydian Zip said as he dashed past. “We’re here.”
Everyone on the deck of the Underground’s blimp looked ahead, and a silent solemness fell over them. Before them was a series of several towers, standing tall on impossible plateaus that spilled endless cascading waterfalls. There were a few buildings at the base of the towers, but with the lack of colour, smog filled sky, and poisoned water, it made the towers more imposing.
”Jeez… this… is a lot…” Mirabel said quietly, shock painting her features.
”First’, Prof said off to the side. ”We’ll start with the primary towers. Lemon Zest, Red Rhumba and Blue Ruin. Blob, Pinky, make sure you accompany them.”
The blob and robot nodded and got ready. Caleb grabbed hold of Gladius, and Isabela had vines grab onto the railing as her sisters hugged her tight. The group all started to head down, but as they did so, Katania and Zig suddenly latched onto Caleb from nowhere.
”Guys!” The boy cried out. “What the heck!” He struggled to hold onto Gladius, before he finally stabilized.
”I wasn’t going to stay holed up in the cruiser for this one”, Kat said as they touched down on the catwalk below. “Plus, we needed these.” She pulled out the paint guns, and Caleb sighed and took one. Zig took the other, jumping a bit when Bernie suddenly landed on his head.
”So… we’re really doing this huh?” Isabela said, looking up to the top of the Lemon Zest tower.
”Yep. So kiss your innocence goodbye gals”, Caleb said as he started to walk ahead, jumping over a small gap. “This is what revolution is!”
Lusia swallowed nervously, and Mirabel looked over everyone carefully. With a sigh, she faced back to her friend and nodded with a determined look. “Let’s do this.”
Caleb beamed and rushed forward, following Blob and Pinky as they started to scale the tower. The others were close behind, and were doing what they could to help. Colourful pollen pods and globs of paint were slung everywhere as the exterior buildings were splashed with all different shades of yellow. Blob smashed a few gunner Inkies that were on a higher ledge, while Isabela and Kat tackled a Sergeant Inky and started to tussle with him. Zig and Bernie started to comically brawl group of Inkies, dragging Luisa into it.
After that brawl was done, the strongwoman helped Caleb and Mirabel up and over the next ledge, and they soon joined back up with Blob. The living thing of paint was looking at an open hatch that was just before the top of the tower, and grinned. He gestured to it, asking if Caleb and Mirabel would want to tag along.
”Yeah!” They both cried out.
”No, wait-” Gladius’ half done plea was cut off as Blob picked up the two humans and jumped into the hatch, the small door closing as the trio vanished inside. The sword whined and sighed simultaneously. “Goddamnit Caleb…”
Inside the tower, Blob set the humans down and rolled ahead, smashing a paint bot and button along the way. A door opened, and the trio looked down into the toxic Blanc Cola.
”Okay, Blob”, Pinky’s voice called out over a communicator Caleb had. “You need to jump across and empty the Blanc Cola from the vat, then fill it up with Lemon Zest. Caleb, Mirabel, because of how dangerous this stuff is, stay at the top. Because when that vat fills, we don’t want you drowning in soda.“
”You got it Pinky!” Mirabel called out. The trio then shared a nod and got to work. As Blob jumped across both gaps and headed into the opposite side, Caleb and Mira stayed on the top platform, holding their breath to avoid the horrible smell.
”So how long do you think we’ll stick around here?” Mirabel asked. “Because as fun as this is… I do want to go home at some point.”
”Just a few days…” Caleb mumbled as he watched the Blanc Cola start to drain. “It’s a bit inconsistent, but we can’t open portals all willy-nilly. Otherwise it could cause some… issues…”
”What kind of issues?” The bespectacled girl threw a pollen pod at an inky, knocking him down to the bottom level, making it splat on the ground.
”Just stuff you wouldn’t understand.” Caleb blasted a gunner away, smiling as it fell off their platform. “A bunch of confusing science stuff is the best way I can describe it.”
Mirabel shrugged. “Alright.” She looked down as the vat started to fill with the glistening yellow soda. Blob was swimming in the stuff, looking relaxed. When it was leveled with the platform, Blob jumped out and shot the two humans finger guns.
”Nice job Blob!” Caleb said happily. There was a glow, and the boy turned around to see another Transform Engine. “Mira, we should get back…” The girl didn’t need to be told twice as she jumped over the gap. Blob smashed the engine right there, and after a bit of built up energy, there was a bright flash.
Outside, the others all jumped when the blast of light shot out of the building, the central part of the tower filling in with the yellow soda and the top looking like a foaming drink, complete with curly straws and an umbrella. They then turned around to see that a gutter once filled with Blanc Cola drained and filled with Lemon Zest.
The trio jumped out of the tower shortly after, and the two humans were immediately swarmed.
”You two are too crazy for your own good…” Katania chastised as she hugged Caleb. Isabela and Luisa fretted and looked Mirabel, relaxing when they saw nothing wrong. “Next time, wait till we’re all here, okay?”
”Okay, Katania”, Caleb responded with a smile. Zig and Bernie shared a look, then rolled their eyes.
Gladius sighed in relief, before hovering over to a now active cannon. It was aimed at the main part of the next tower, the “Red Rhumba” tower if he remembered it right. Looking all the way down, he saw what looked to be a series of buildings on small islands at the water below.
”Pinky”, The sword began loudly. “What should we do with these buildings at the bottom?”
The robot flew over and looked down, humming. “That’s where workers live, and where a lot of the docks transport the goods… We need to get to those places too, so… hmmmmm…” She looked back at the group, who were all calming down and looked at her. “Okay, since these other buildings are just as important, we need to split up and get them dealt with.”
”I’m okay helping out down there”, Mirabel said.
”I’ll go with her”, Caleb said with a warm smile. He then looked at Katania and Gladius. “You two coming?”
”Of course!” The general’s daughter said happily. “Plus, it’d be nice to have more of a… relaxing liberation duty.”
”I concur”, Gladius said gruffly. “Besides, the idea of leaving any of this city’s citizen’s in those prison cells called suits makes me lurch. Let’s go.”
The group all nodded and walked off, the others waving goodbye as they all made their way to the next tower. Caleb watched as Isabela swung over with a vine, and Pinky carried Luisa, Zig and Bernie over as Blob took the cannon.
Katania hummed as she looked up at Gladius. “Gladdy, could you maybe help us down? I don’t know if there’s a safe way to get to the base of the tower…”
”There isn't, yeah”, Caleb said suddenly. “Just ways to get up in case Blob fell down.”
The sword remained silent for a moment, and the three humans were suddenly shocked when they started flying a bit. “I’ve been practicing my telekinesis”, he said as he carried the others down with him. “I wanted to eventually see if I could reach a limit. So far, so good.”
”That’s cool… But some warning next time would be nice”, Mirabel spat as she tried to not freak out. ‘I’m fine with flying around in a spaceship, but it feels weird being… weightless.”
”Get used to it”, Caleb said with a flat look as he crossed his arms. “This is what you can expect sticking with us.”
”Not a bad thing, I want to add”, Katania said sweetly.
Mirabel looked thoughtful for a moment before smiling and shrugging, the trio all chatting as they were set down and rushed off to get the buildings and boats painted. Gladius watched them all go carefully, making sure none of them got hurt, before glancing up the Red Rhumba tower and seeing explosions of red spraying from off the ledges.
He sighed and looked off to the side, slowly following after the others. “I hope the others are okay… Rainbow, I promise we’re almost home…”
~X~
Rainbow leaned against her window still, her miserable and drained expression glancing out towards the city. It had been overcast for a few weeks now, and it wasn’t going to let up anytime soon.
Despite Ralph and the others returning with the good news that they did find traces of Caleb, it did little to boost the goddess’ mood. Because the multiverse was so expansive, she called off the direct search. Virus wasn’t giving up, and neither were any of the others. But she had spent her energy.
Looking up at the grey sky, she sighed and walked back inside with sluggish movements, trying to drown out her depressed thoughts with anything. So she made her way through her home to the living room. It was just her, so she turned on her TV as she sat on the couch. Surfing the channels, she found herself gravitating towards the news.
Across the multiverse, news was constant and all over the place, but as she slowly clicked through the channels, she came across something that made her freeze.
Somehow, she had stumbled across the official Chroma City news channel, and almost instantly she had seen that Caleb, Katania and Gladius were featured in a semi-interview. The goddess blinked and rubbed her eyes, then looked back at the TV screen. Her kid, niece and friend were here. They were here!
She sprung to her feet and wanted to go and yell at Virus to get everything ready, but as she watched the news more, she started to see how Caleb, Kat and Gladius were not alone. She recognised most of who were with them, and she suddenly got an idea in her head.
Smiling lightly as the clouds outside finally began to part, she relaxed on the couch and watched the news program with apt attention, waiting for when her boy would come home…
~X~
Caleb and his little side group joined back up with the others as they finished painting the Blue Ruin tower. As they all met up, they watched as the coloured soda flowed through the pipes and massive flumes past a blank central building.
”This is the first processing plant”, Prof said over Pinky’s radio. “Colouring this will give us access to the drawbridge, and we can cross to the secondary plant and towers.”
”There’s a few of those weirdos here”, Isabela said flatly, jabbing a thumb at some Inkies that were doing a poor job of guarding the station.
”Makes our job all the more easier”, Pinky said triumphantly. “Blob, I’ll get a Rainbow station set up. Help the others deal with the guards.”
The rest of the group nodded and raced off, weapons raised as they charged at the Inkies. The first group was caught woefully off guard as Luisa ploughed into them like a raging bull, sending them flying off the tower. Mirabel looked at her sister in awe, shocked at how confident she looked. Smiling, the giftless girl joined Katania in blasting a few Gunner Inkies and Leech Bots, sending scrap and ink everywhere.
Caleb, wielding Gladius close, was surrounded by a group with Zig and Bernie. They all shared a look, and in the blink of an eye Bernie set his friends spinning off like a top. The Inkies all tried to flee, but were swiftly cut to ribbons as they cried in terror. Once the crowd was cleared, the boy and hyena shared a fist bump, grinning like maniacs.
Gladius, meanwhile, ran off to hurl excess energy off the edge.
Isabela and Blob were taking on some Elites that were proving to be troublesome, so the Flower Girl thought quickly and came up with a plan. She wrapped some vines around Blob and started swinging him around like a wrecking ball, using pollen pods to quickly change his colour so no Elite was left standing.
When the dust settled, the group all looked around to see all the Inkies had been vanquished, and they all shared a little cheer. At that moment, there was a technological sounding noise, and the group all looked over to see a logo of Blob flashing several colours hovering in a bubble.
Pinky hovered over as Blob rushed to it.
”What’s that?” Mirabel asked.
”Rainbow”, Pinky said. “A power-up Prof made to help Blob out. Just stand back and watch…”
The group all shared looks, but stumbled back when Blob smashed the power-up, his body suddenly coursing with energy to the point he started switching to all colours of the rainbow. The group all watched in awe as their friend started jumping around like a madman, paint flying everywhere as he painted the whole processing plant in seconds. As Raydians ran out and cheered, freed from their imprisonment, a Transform Engine formed on the catwalk high above.
Caleb and Kat cheered as Blob smashed it, sending light, music and colour across the plant. As everything returned to normal, a trio of raised drawbridges off to the side lowers, letting the three primary sodas flow again.
“Looks like we got our way across”, Caleb said happily.
Luisa and Zig looked over the tower edge, and winced. “It’s a long fall down, though”, The strongwoman said nervously. “Are we sure it’s safe? I mean…” She looked along the whole track of sodas. “There’s not really a good place to walk.”
”There is the center bit…” Katania said thoughtfully.
Zig hummed in thought, then made a noise of victory. He ran over to a nearby pillar, and pointed at Isabela. The young woman was horribly confused.
”What?” She said with a hint of irritation. Zig rolled his eyes and made the motion of tying a rope to the pole, then pointed at Isabela again. The Flower Girl’s eyes widened, and she nodded. With a flick of her hand, a vine emerged from the metal floor and wrapped around the pillar, before slowly snaking its way around Zig’s waste, then Isa’s, and slowly around everyone else’s.
Bernie made sure to knot up the vines, and when they were tested, he gave a thumbs up and returned to Zig’s head.
”Well, hopefully this work”, Caleb said in slight worry. He looked up at Gladius and Pinky, who were hovering above them. “Make sure to catch us if the rope is about to give way if we slip at all.”
”I swear on it, Caleb”, Gladius said with a bow.
”Don’t worry, me and Blob will lead the way!” The robot shared a look with her friend, who nodded and started his trek through the soda to the next plant.
The group, making doubly sure the vine was secured, carefully started to follow the two artistic rebels, balancing on the middle ridge of the Red Rumba and Lemon Zest sodas. There were a few moments when there was a slight slip-up, but thankfully nothing truly dangerous happened as the group made it to a far drop.
Carefully, Caleb, who was at the front, walked to the edge, took a deep breath, and jumped. The group all gasped, but thankfully the vine magically extended so he didn’t pull the rest of them down. He landed beside Blob on the lower ridge, and beaned as he spun around and waved back up at the others.
”C’mon guys!” He called up. “The sooner we finish this the better!”
The rest of the group all shared looks, then all took turns jumping down. Kat was about on par with Caleb, Luisa ended up making a little dent, Mirabel stumbled a bit and nearly fell off before Luisa caught her, Isabela gracefully lowered herself down, and Zig crashed on the metal with a painful “THUNK”. The group all winced and looked at him in worry, but he just flashed a thumbs up as he weakly laughed, showing his now crooked teeth.
Thankfully, it was a short walk to another catwalk, meaning the group could finally get rid of the vines.
Looking across, Katania hissed. “The next drawbridge is raised too.”
”There should be a locking mechanism here”, Pinky said, doing a scan of the area. “There’s two buttons Blob needs to press…”
”Should be easy…” Gladius said as he hovered above the group. But when a strange reticle appeared on him followed by a beeping sound, everyone froze.
”Gladius!” Caleb cried.
The blade could react as a roar sounded off and the blade was blasted away by four small spikes, making the group all duck. Sharing terrified looks, they all glanced down the ramp to a lower catwalk, and saw a new kind of Inky.
It was a bit portly, larger than the regular Inkies, with a helmet with a massive spike on his head. In his hands was a strange looking bazooka of some kind, which was obviously what was used on Gladius.
“What the heck is that?!” Isabela hissed.
Pinky pressed the screen on her chest. “Prof just sent some intel. That’s a new brand of Inky Comrade Black has made. Spiky Inkies. Can’t be slammed, and will fire at anything that’s in they’re range and airborne.”
“So no jumping, got it”, Mirabel said. She blinked when something whizzed past overhead, and the group all watched as Gladius decimated the one Spiky.
When the guard was nothing but a black stain on the catwalk, the sword sighed and hovered up. “That’s what happens when you humiliate me”, the blade said in a vicious tone.
”This didn’t stop a second Spiky from firing at him and sending him away again.
Zig and Bernie snorted and started laughing as Blob rushed to deal with the second Spiky. When it was changed into and turned into a puddle, the group all stood up.
”So we got another threat to deal with…” Isabela said with a hint of nervousness. “Great.”
”It’ll only get harder from here”, Mirabel said in a determined tone. “So the best we can do is just keep fighting and help where we can.”
The group all nodded, but then glanced over at the center of the whole location. The corrupted Mucho Mocha tower continued to stretch into the sky, its black walls imposing against the grey skies. Those skies, thankfully, started to tint blue a bit as Blob painted the small catwalk area, hitting both buttons to lower the next set of drawbridges.
With determined looks, the group followed their friends swiftly, making sure to secure another vine before following. It was a short distance before they made it to the next processing plant, having to fight two Elites before making up.
Making up the small ramp after ditching the vine, the group walked up to the sealed processing plant. Sharing grins, they all split up as Blob supercharged himself with more Rainbow, and began to slam Inkies and paint the plant top to bottom. Plantlife exploded from any crevice it could as Isabela swung around one of the tall tanks, laughing as she supported her sisters with more pollen pods.
As the plant was liberated, a Transform Engine appeared, and this time, Pinky let Zig do the honors. The hyena grinned goofily as he broke the capsule with a karate chop, making the explosion of light the group was becoming used to.
There was a peculiar rushing sound, and the group watched as two of each colour flowed out to each of the surrounding towers. Red and Blue, Blue and Yellow, and finally Yellow and Red.
”Next up are the secondary towers”, Pinky announced as the group met back up. “Like Time, Orange Ale, and Grape Escape.”
”I say we split up”, Katania said. “That way we can go and nail the towers faster.”
”Good idea. Just be careful, I can see these towers have beefed up defenses to stop us.” Pinky pointed out two of the towers,which seemed to have stove tops on the main paths to the top of them.
Sharing nods, the group split off. Pinky, Blob and the island duo went to Lime Time, the Madrigal sisters went to Grape Escape, and the Capital trio went to Orange Ale.
As they made it to the tower, they looked along their path to see there were painful looking electrical pads, switching on and off with a timing.
”You guys ready?” Caleb asked.
Katania, who had loaded up their paint guns with orange from a nearby pool, nodded. “The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can help Sparky.”
”And get home”, Gladius said sternly, glaring at the path ahead.
With spirits high, they ran forward to liberate the tower, crying out as they blasted the first Inkies they laid eyes on.
~X~
As the light washed over Orange Ale, signifying it was liberated, the Capital trio looked over to the other towers to see the same was happening to the other two towers. The channels that were once filled with Blanc Cola drained and were filled up with the respective sodas, all flowing to the second processing plant and beyond to a different path they had yet to go down. Looking at the other towers, Caleb and Katania waved at their friends, who all waved back, and they all started to move to the secondary plant to regroup.
As they all made it back from their separation, they all watched a Transform Engine form next to the pipes of secondary sodas.
Blob rushed over without a second thought and Smashed it, making an explosion of light paint the sky, and activating a series of platforms across the purple soda pipe. Luisa was about to take a step onto them when they all raised and lowered again in a wave-like motion, making the group all stop.
Pinky hummed and Bernie looked over the edge, the two of them thinking of a solution. “Honestly, I’m at a loss at how you guys can tag along here”, the pink robot said sadly. “Look, you guys did amazing work, so just-”
”Wait!” Isabela said. She walked forward, and thrust her hands forward silently. There was a brief rumble before a thick and sturdy vine bridge formed between the pipes, making a much safer way across.
The Flower Girl posed triumphantly, giving her friends a confident look. “I figured I should see how far I can push my gift. And, well… you’re welcome.”
”Isa that’s so cool!” Katania said, running over and jumping onto the vine bridge.
Mirabel rolled her eyes and walked past her sister. “Still a bit of a bragger…”
The eldest Madrigal winced as the others all headed across the bridge, following the flow of the soda. When they made it to the other side, they all scrambled back as globs of ink came down from above not far from where they were. Looking up, they saw what looked to be a mortar wildly firing into the sky.
”It looks like the pumps aren’t working”, Pinky said, pointing at a large water pump with a button on top. “We’re going to have to resume the flow got get to the last tower.”
”Leave the turret to me”, Luisa said sternly.
”Luisa no!” Mirabel called out, but it fell on deaf ears as the strongwoman rushed forward, dodging the mortar fire until she made it to it’s side. The inky inside stopped his bombardment to look at the woman, who was giving him a dark look. The Inky gulped as Luisa smashed the thing apart with a single punch, before signalling for the others that it was safe.
”I never thought she’d be so reckless…” Isabela whispered to you youngest sister.
”Maybe it’s the freedom she finally has…” Mirabel whispered back.
”Eva will love to meet her and Sharko…” Caleb added in with his own whisper.
The group all shook off their shock and repeated what had happened twice more: Isabela would create a vine bridge, they would cross and be stopped by mortar fire, Luisa would rush ahead and take them out, Blob would open the pump, and they’d continue. Along the way they painted rows of offices and smaller factories on precarious edges, freeing the trapped Graydians inside.
When the pipes suddenly arced upwards with a catwalk to rest at, the group all looked to see where the pipes were going. Towering above was Mucha Mocha, the last stop on their liberation tour.
”This is it”, Caleb said. “Just this tower left, and we’re outta here.”
”We’re going to need a boost…” Katania said, looking at how the catwalk ended into a jump pad only Blob could use.
”I can just make a vine lift or something”, Isa said as she crossed her arms. “Hasn’t stopped me before.”
”No need!” A voice echoed out through a speaker. The group all jumped and looked over, seeing the Galactic Cruiser rested beside them. Ransack and Crumplezone waved at their friends as Betty, now sitting inside Sparky’s chair, waved from the cockpit. “Figured you guys could use some backup.”
”Betty, thank you!” Gladius said as the group all hoped on top of the ship.
Caleb stumbled a bit, but was caught by Ransack. The boy gave the Transformer a grateful smile, which shifted to confusion as the motorbike pulled out his twin barrel rifle.
”X-5 tricked me and CZ with the same sort of paint stuff!” Ransack began. Caleb glanced over at the other bot, and watched as he activated his shoulder cannons. “So we’ll provide aerial support!”
”Sweet!” Caleb cheered. “Now let's liberate a soda plant!”
”Yeah!” The group all cheered. Betty grinned and shared a nod with X-5, and the cruiser slowly rose up towards the final tower. The group all prepared themselves, and when they were over the edge, they unleashed hell.
Inkies, Sergeants, Leech Bots, Gunners, Elites and Spikies… None of them stood a chance against the barrage the two Transformers unloaded onto the tower. The others all hopped off and started pitching in where they could, giving Blob an opening to scale the tower, colour himself brown, and slip inside.
As the others continued to fight back against the Inkies, Caleb started to feel more pumped up. To the point he threw Gladius away and started tussling with an Elite with his bare hands. The sword looked on in shock and worry, watching as Caleb slammed a fist into the Elite’s eye and kicked him off the tower.
After the surprisingly brutal scene, Caleb blinked and stumbled, being caught by the sword.
”Gladdy…” Caleb said in a slightly delirious tone. “What happened? I felt like I started sleepwalking…”
”Nothing you need to worry about…” The blade said reassuringly. The boy shook his head, then looked up as the tower let up a blast of light. All the harsh blacks gave way as it returned to its fully coloured self, complete with foam pouring from the top. A bright beam shot out from the top of the tower, and Caleb smiled and stood up fully.
As the boy went over to his friends to celebrate their victory, Gladius watched from afar in worry. That wasn’t… Normal. There was almost something wild unlocked.
He made a mental note to keep an eye on his friend as they all boarded the Colour Revolution’s blimp…
~X~
As the two airships were soaring through the sky to their next destination, Gladius had pulled Katania aside to explain to her what had happened.
”He just… did that?” She asked quietly in confusion.
The sword nodded. “It was like Caleb was just… swapped with someone else. There was this look in his eye…”
”What… Kind of look?”
”The kind I only ever saw once…” Gladius looked out to the grey skies. “When Rainbow and her brothers first started to unlock their powers.” Kat’s eyes widened a bit. ”They were caught in a power trip, one so bad I was worried they would rip the whole center apart. Thankfully they were able to stop… But the look they all had still scares me…”
”So should we be worried Caleb could blow up at some point?” Kat leaned over to look Gladius in the jewel. “Because… I don’t want my best friend to suddenly explode like a hydrogen bomb on me.”
”I don’t know… It’s hard to say at this moment, because there’s no real signs of anything. Just keep an eye on him…”
The sword and girl looked over at their friend, who was happily chatting with the Madrigals, a fully cured Sparky and the Colour Revolution.
”And keep him reigned in.”
The two of them glanced at Dolores, who was giving them a wide-eyed but knowing look. She blinked, and nodded silently, a wordless promise to be kept sealed in her lips.
As the two airships kept flying through the skies, Gladius and Katania couldn’t shake the worry welling within them…
And Rainbow, from her balcony with Prisma News still playing on her TV, looked up at her night sky in hope, the moon full and visible after too long. She let out a happy sigh and walked off, ready to finally have a peaceful sleep after over a few weeks of turmoil…
~X~
Okay, wow… Sorry it took so long to get this out. A lot has been happening since the last update. From work, my dog passing away, getting addicted to the PvZ2 mod Reflourished, travelling and just loss of motivation, it’s been hard to get this all written out.
But I’m back! Finally got this thing done after too long, so I hope it works out for y’all! I was getting back into the groove, so it might be a bit rough in places, but I still love how it turned out. One of my fav levels from the game.
Also, we hit big chapter 25! Not as crazy as the first DCT, as we already passed a quarter at 20, but I still feel it’s a decent milestone. And we’re still getting that bit closer to the massive 1 million total written words! That’s crazy, and the closer we get the more emotional I become! Also, expect the finished collab to be posted soon (I’m predicting sometime next month), still waiting on some submissions.
I love you all, and thank you for putting up with my procrastination. It means a lot to me <3
Up next: The team find themselves where Prisma’s power is generated, but somehow have to save everyone when everything is locked in a deep freeze…
~Kat~
Chapter 26: Hyd-Ice-City
Summary:
The group are forced to brave a sudden blizzard as the next place set for liberation has been frozen over. While braving the cold, the Madrigals slowly reform their connections more…
Chapter Text
Caleb was leaning over the railing of the blimp, between Marina and Sharko. The skies they were in were a lot more chilly and lifeless, but otherwise it was just the same of what they were expecting with the INKT controlled airspace. The boy sighed a bit, both in peace and exhaustion, and looked up aimlessly.
”How much closer are we to the next stop, Biff?” The boy called out.
The orange Raydian grunted. “Soon, but it’s kinda hard to tell. These snow clouds are really making it hard to see…”
Marina squealed in excitement and spun around, suddenly revealing herself in more winter appropriate clothing. Sharko chuckled quietly, and Caleb snorted with an eye roll, making the mermaid give them a light glare.
”I don’t think we’ll have time to make a snowman, Marina”, the bespectacled boy said with a teasing smile. “We’ve got a city to save.“
”And it won’t stay snowing for long”, a new voice said. The trio looked over as Prof approached, looking at some sort of handheld device. “We’re going to the Hydro Station, where all of Prisma City’s power is generated. But… Something is wrong…”
He stopped when he reached the group, mumbling in worry. “INKT somehow found a way to freeze the whole valley over when they took over, meaning there’s so many workers trapped under a thick layer of ice.”
Marina gasped and Sharko growled. Caleb walked around and looked over the screen on Prof’s device screen. He hummed and nodded. “I’ll try to get a team ready with people who can… handle this cold.”
Sharko thumped a fist on his chest, nodding as he gave a determined look. Caleb nodded and walked off into the blimp, up to ask if anyone else was up to tagging along.
Over in the cruiser, however, things were a bit more toasty. Inside the dining area, SParky was using his shockingly adaptable culinary skills to make the Madrigals and Katania a meal for their hard work. Gladius was hovering over the general’s daughter, watching the scene with mild amusement.
”Seriously, bolts for brains just doesn’t think I can make good food”, the cruiser pilot said as he effortlessly stirred a pot and put something in the oven simultaneously. “But little does he know that my Momuska has taught me a lot. Especially with other culinary classics.”
”That’s cool!” Katania said. “So you’ve been cooking for a while.”
Sparky paused as he was finishing up the meal. “Well… when I can, I do. Being a Galactic Guardian means you don’t have a lot of free time.”
”Seeing that Maximus fellow… I can definitely agree…” Gladius said as the concerning memories flashed in his mind. “If we ever meet him again, then he will be leveled by our friends.”
“I’d love to see that happen!” Sparky said with a laugh. With his arms loaded with filled bowls, he slid them to each person at the table. “Eat up, guys! This is a special recipe I adapted from a cookbook Betty got me.”
Carefully, all the humans shared looks and took a careful sip. All at once, their eyes opened with sparkles, and they started to dig in more with gusto. The pilot beamed as the sword hovered down next to him.
”I’ll admit, I’m impressed”, Gladius said. “I saw those… worms you were eating earlier.”
”I can like good food”, Sparky spat back with a light glare. “That stuff is more just junk food to me. And I wanted something to get rid of the awful taste of that Blanc Cola… BLEGH!” He waved his tongue around a bit, but stopped when Betty walked into the dining room. “Heya, Captain! What’s up?”
”We’re almost at our next stop”, the redhead said. “Caleb needs people who can handle the cold. Sharko is tagging along, and so am I, anyone else?”
“I’ll tag along!” Katania said loudly, leaning against the table.
”I’m always coming by default”, Gladius said in a dignified tone.
”Sure, I’ll tag along!” Sparky said. “After missing the soda factories, I want to help anyway I can.”
Betty looked at all the Madrigals, and they all shook their heads. Mirabel swallowed her sip of soup, and smiled sheepishly. “We live in Columbia, and with Tia Pepa… it was hard to really feel ‘cold’. When she did make it snow… We all suffered…”
”Noted”, the lead Galactic Guardian looked to her teammate. “Sparky! Let’s go.”
He nodded and left the room, followed closely by Katania and Gladius. When they left the dining room, they were shocked to see Pinky carrying Caleb and Blob down past the clouds. Gladius humphed indignantly and used his telekinesis to carry Katania down, while the Guardians used jet packs to glide down.
When the group all landed on the ground together, next to a waiting Sharko in winter clothing, the group all looked around. They were on a fairly small catwalk platform that was simply a dead end that went up to a gated entrance. Everywhere else, there was black ice.
Betty and Sparky looked over the ice in suspicion. “What is this stuff?” The redhead asked.
”Frozen ink”, Pinky said. “INKT flooded everything and then froze it. There’s a bunch of buildings under this stuff…”
”So there’s people trapped under there?!” Katania cried in terror.
Sharko snarled and ran over to the edge, comically lifting his fist up before slamming it down on the ice. There was silence as everyone looked at him in surprise, only for the shark to whimper as his arm deflated like a balloon.
”Frozen ink hurts when you touch it”, the pink robot said quietly. “You guys can’t do much…”
”Then what do we do?” Caleb asked. “Do we just climb over the gate?”
Pinky shook her head. “We need a lot of colour energy to charge up the Transform Engine…”
”Well, on top of the factory could be a good spot”, Gladius said, pointing a wing upwards. The others followed, and saw a factory that was towering over them, covered in heating plates like from Soda Falls.
Blob gave the blade a thumbs up, then squinted as he looked over the black ice, and pointed when he spotted some Grayians pulling sleds like a dog sled team. Inkies were dressed in winter clothes and wielding whips, barking at the captured citizens to keep going.
”Okay, so we’ll chill here while you go and save them”, Betty said. “When we can get this gate open, we’ll keep going and hopefully thaw this ice.”
The paint hero nodded and ran off, ignoring the pain of the ink as he went to do his job. Pinky stuck by his side, keeping watch as he did what he did best.
With the others, they just remained there and waited. Sharko pulled out winter clothes so the others could all get more comfortable, and they quickly changed to avoid hypothermia. When they were done, a button burst from the floor and Blob returned. He looked a bit beaten, but was still punching.
”Alright, let’s go!” Katania said, her voice partially muffled by her scarf. When it was pressed down, the part of the fence blocking them exploded and giving them access to the first area of enslaved workers.
As they all walked up, Sparky and Sharko slipped in the frozen roads, falling on their faces.
”Yikes, okay, we need to thaw things out…” Caleb said as he looked around the frozen and snow covered area. He pulled out his paint gun, and pumped it. “Let’s hope this works…”
The team all nodded and started to get to work, painting the buildings and streets. Sure enough, as they painted the streets up, the ice started to melt away and things began to warm up bit by bit. Even with the Inkies in their way, Sharko and the Guardians made quick work of them. After a bunch of ice melted at a cul-de-sac, Caleb spotted an open manhole. Curiosity getting the better of him, he jumped in, Gladius frantically following after.
Underground, the boy and sword fell, getting hit with a jet of water Before slamming on the ground. It was freezing, not helped by a powerful gust of wind pushing them down the hall against their will.
Caleb slid off and was launched into a yellow Paint Bot, which was crushed by the force of his momentum. Caleb groaned and slowly tried to get back up, only to slip and land on his backside.
”Okay, ow…” The boy groaned out. “We need to get out of here… because I’m freezing and in pain!”
”Right, on it!” The sword covered himself in the yellow paint and flew off, painting the underground top to bottom. He wormed around the area, freeing trapped Graydians while making sure anything that was turning this place into a meat freeze was shut off.
Soon, all the fans were off and Gladius rushed back to Caleb’s side, picking him up and taking him out of the manhole the way they came. Upon reaching the surface, it was much warmer. And Katania was there, a panicked look on her face.
”Oh my gosh, Caleb!” She snipped as the boy. “You can’t keep running off like that!”
”I know, I know, sorry…” He flexed his sore body, and then sighed. “So, what did I miss?”
”We got the Police Station!” Betty called out from a nearby roof. “We’re moving onto the factory, things are starting to warm up! C’mon!”
The Capital trio all nodded and ran up the main road, slipping past celebrating Prismians as they rounded up a hill to join the others. Pinky was scouting ahead, looking at how the heat pads glowed ominously, and then faced the group.
”Alright, you guys can’t really follow Blob along because of… all of this.” She gestured to the heat pads. “So we’ll go and deal with the Transform Engine while the rest of you guys wait here till the ice melts.”
The group nodded and watched as Blob raced off, the factory slowly getting more painted as he went along. Thankfully, it wasn’t a long wait as the painted buildings destroyed the heat pads instantly. So the group started scaling up the factory till they reached the top with Blob and Pinky just as the Transform Engine was done setting up.
”Hey, Sharko?” Caleb asked. “Do you want to do the honors?”
The shark chuckled and walked over to the glowing object, cracking his knuckles as he walked. There was a moment of silence before he roared and smashed the engine with a single punch, making a burst of light blast out.
The group all heard rushing water and looked over, watching as the frozen ink drained, but only toa point. There was a second layer, but thankfully it did reveal a part across the way with plenty of more bleached buildings. There also appeared to be a Police Station next to two prisons, and a lot of frozen ink puddles on the ground.
A distance away from the group, atop the factory withy them, and cannon activated, aimed at the new area. The team all looked at each other and shared a nod, heading off to the cannon to continue their liberation of the area.
~X~
From the blimp above, Mirabel watched the team with a light smile, but as they disappeared under the clouds to the newly revealed area, she sighed and spun around. Looking around the deck of the blimp, the members of the Colour Revolution were giving her family tips and such. Except Prof, who could be seen in the Galactic Cruiser’s cockpit talking with X-5 and the two Transformers.
Blinking a bit, she decided to wander into the lower decks to see what Zig, Bernie and Marina were doing. When she entered the room they were in, she ducked when a scary looking blast of paint suddenly came right at her.
”What the heck guys?!” She cried out, jumping back up and looking at the stain on the wall in the hallway. “That could’ve taken my head off!”
The hyena, who was wielding the modified paint gun, grinned sheepishly, slipped it behind his back, and whistled innocently as he walked off. Bernie sighed and followed after him, leaving the bespectacled girl and mermaid.
Mirabel sighed and sat on a box across Marina, giving her friend a tired smile. “So how have you been, Marina? Still getting used to… all of this?”
The mermaid nodded a slight smile on her face. She blabbed out how this whole thing has opened her up a lot more than usual, but also made her feel actually nervous.
”Yeah, same here… Heck, it’s a lot harder for me. You could explore the whole ocean. I just had the Encanto… everything’s inside the mountains was my home, so I feel even more out of place…” She looked out the window wistfully. “Like, all this technology… It makes me think that, back home, because we’re so isolated… would we even get any of that? Or will we be found because of planes flying overhead…”
Marina nodded, going on about how despite everything, people have still found the island Zig and Bernie live on, and in turn her. From a guy running a lighthouse, constant tourists, some guy who kept crashing a tanker into the island, a pilot that tried to kidnap her, and so much more. As she continued on, Mirabel’s eyes widened more and more in shock.
”Wow, your life sure is… a lot more exciting than mine…” The giftless girl looked to the side partially. “You know my life was… rough, when I didn’t get my gift. But seeing what I was missing out on, what was possible…” She fell silent for a moment. “I honestly should’ve just gone with you guys sooner…”
Marina shook her head, but the bespectacled girl didn’t stop. “Like, I was just… there. Sure, me and Isabela are kinda fixing what she broke, but it’s hard to really be all for it when it was all for image. She treated me like a curse because Abuela wanted us to look perfect. No one else in the family really liked being around me except Mama, Papa and Tonio… So I felt alone.
”But then you guys came along and showed me what love is, what I lost when I didn’t get some stupid gift… And I guess it makes me hate a lot of my family deep down, because they obviously could love me. It was just easier to ignore the problem. ‘We don’t talk about Bruno’… more like ‘We don’t talk about our issues’…”
The mermaid’s face twisted in sadness, and she pulled her friend into a hug. From the door, out of the room, the rest of the Madrigals peered in. Pain was etched on their faces as they took in all of Mirabel’s words, and they could all feel their hearts breaking. Quietly, they snuck off and found a different part of the blimp, minds churning with so many thoughts.
”We really screwed up, huh?” Camilo said in a tired tone. He then gained a more stern look. “Well, I’m going to go and drag her into something. We have a lot of time to make up for.”
”Hold on”, Dolores said, grabbing his arm. “We shouldn’t crowd her, we need her to just… decide on her own.”
”Well I don’t care.” The shapeshifter pulled himself free. “Me and Mira used to be twins until I got my gift. Then when she didn’t get hers… I wasn’t there. And now she feels she can trust people she’s known for only a week over us, her own family. And us just standing around like this isn’t going to fix it.”
The chameleon stormed off, leaving the three young women on their own. Dolores remained still and silent, her eyes wide and clouded. Isabela sighed and shared a sad look with Luisa, and they both walked up next to the doe.
”Milo is right, Lola”, Isa said calmly. “No more being the silent listener, you need to act. We all do, and with Mira… we have a lot to make up for. So c’mon, we need to do some planning.”
The flower girl took Dolores’ hand and led her away, leaving Luisa all on her own. She took a deep breath and looked out a nearby window, watching as one of the many pitch black buildings suddenly exploded with colour. Blinking, she smiled and headed toward the main deck.
~X~
As the second prison exploded with colour, the group all headed up to the empty water track, a line of colour atoms heading back to the Power Station the group passed as they couldn’t get access originally.
”Alright, so all we need to do is take out that power station”, Pinky explained. “And the valley should fully drain all of the frozen ink.”
”Which gives us a straight shot to the Collider”, Betty said as she looked over at the distant massive structure.
”So let’s go guys!” Caleb cheered as he started running down the open waterway. “The sooner we wrap this up, the warmer it’ll get!”
The group all shared looks and ran after him, with Gladius and Pinky hovering above.
As they made their way closer to the Power Station, Katania caught up with her friend. “Okay, so, I wanna know… What’s the first thing you’re doing when we get back?”
”Probably make a massive pillow pile and sleep with all the Pokemon and my other little guys…” Caleb sighed wistfully. “Man, I miss them all. I hope Maple, Z-Tron and Purdy are okay…”
”I’m sure they’re fine, Caleb. Besides, I just know when you get back, they’ll be latched onto you like glue.”
The boy snorted. “They probably will be. I won’t be surprised if Rainbow is always around to make sure I don’t disappear again…”
”Knowing her, I wouldn’t be surprised”, Gladius said flatly.
The others with them all shared looks, then glanced back. “Who’s Rainbow?” Sparky asked.
”My mom”, Caleb said. “I don’t remember if I did say that to any of you yet, but yeah, she’s a great mom… Love her loads.”
”When you meet her, you’ll see what we mean”, Katania added with a giggle.
”But who is she really?” Betty asked.
”Goddess of all colour and life”, Gladius said proudly. “She can do a lot, and has infinite power to mold reality. Of course, that last bit isn’t too true anymore… Long story.”
”Sounds like me and Blob will get along with her just fine!” Pinky said happily. “I wonder if she’d be okay if we painted a city or something…”
”She might!” Caleb said happily. “She, her husband and her brothers all are in charge of a massive city, so maybe they could let you guys paint it.”
”I’ll be sure to remember that.” Pinky and Blob headed into the Power Station, leaving the others to just sit back and wait.
Caleb sighed as he stretched, looking over their good work in the area they just liberated. It was starting to warm up, and the plant-life was slowly coming back. The skies were clearing up, and more of the Prismians were running around happily as their home slowly returned to normal.
But as he and the others relaxed, a dark ship flew overhead. The group all looked up as Inkies came down, surrounding them with weapons at the ready. The group all Readied up for a brawl, but that was halted when Luisa suddenly crashed down, sending a shockwave that annihilated all the Inkies.
As the dust settled, the group all blinked. “Wow, nice of you to drop in Luisa”, Caleb said cheekily with a smile.
”Thanks”, the strongwoman said with a light blush. “I wanted to just get out, and I guess I showed up at a good time.”
”You just saved us from being jumped, so definitely!” Sparky cheered. Sharko folded his arms and grunted, looking displeased. Everyone looked up at him and blinked, and he just huffed and looked to the side bitterly.
It was just then the power station flashed in light and was coloured, Blob and Pinky jumping out. There was another loud draining sound, and the group all walked over to the window dense next to them towards the Inktron Collider. The frozen ink drained completely, opening up the whole valley once again. The bottom stream was frozen, with Graydians stumbling about. All along the canyon walls were bleached buildings, all as a path right to the main landmark of the area.
”Alright guys, this is it!” Caleb called out. “Last stretch till the Inktron is liberated. Let’s give it our all!”
The group all cheered and ran down to the lowest part, weapons drawn and paint at the ready. There were a few explosive Bomb Bots walking around, and some Inkies were airdropped as the group advanced, but that didn’t stop them from painting everything around them. While Luisa, Sharko and Betty worked to take out all the more dangerous Inkies, the others all tackled the bleached bottom, painting up the buildings and freeing all the graydians they could.
As Pinky said earlier while the group were busting the prisons apart, rescuing 200 workers would help them get access to the captured Hydro Station. So they worked diligently to fulfil that promise, washing the whole valley in a tsunami of colour. Inkies were crushed and washed away, the plant-life started to return, and an upbeat tune started to play through the air.
When the final Graydian was freed, Blob was granted access to the Collider. The living being of paint acted quick in climbing up the deactivated tower. The others all watched from below as he disappeared into the top.
”I suggest we move out of the water”, Pinky said, pointing at the ice. “Otherwise we’ll all be washed away.”
The group all nodded and made their way up to where the power station was, sitting on the edge and watching in anticipation. As they sat and waited, they all talked about just… things, slowly bonding more and more.
After a few minutes, there was a deep rumble, and the group all looked at the Hydro Station. In a burst of light, the black plating was blown off and gave way for a wood-like texture, with plants growing all over the tower. All the ice melted away and things instantly warmed up, and the valley walls filled with the colour they lost.
Caleb leaned back as he took a deep breath, smiling as birds started chirping and a warm breeze started washing over him.
”This one was pretty easy, I’ll say”, Katania said with a smile. “Maybe it’s because it wasn’t a bunch of towers over bottomless pits…”
”I say it’s because I’m used to the cold”, Caleb said. “So we got an advantage with that.”
Sharko laughed loudly and the Guardians giggled. “Sure, dude”, Sparky said. “Whatever you say.”
”Alright gang!” Pinky called out as she flew over while carrying Blob. “Get back to the blimp, we’ve got to get to the next destination! It’s a big one, and some of our intel told us of a very crucial weakness. So c’mon!”
The others all nodded and ran off towards the platform they were on when they first landed, ready to leave this valley and move on, But as they boarded the blimp, Luisa ran past Caleb, and he watched as she joined the rest of her family. He smiled as he saw them all bonding with Mirabel, who was losing that sombre and hurt look that she tried to bury behind her eyes.
With a bright smile, Caleb tagged along with Katania and Gladius as they went to relax before the next stop…
~X~
And that’s chapter 26 done! A bit of a lighter one (this level from the game wasn’t always my fav), but I still feel like it turned out okay! And hey, update after a few days too! You can thank my friend Sami hosting sprints in the TDWriters server (Love ya’ Sami).
So yeah, simple, sweet, I don’t have much to say about this one honestly. Outside of that, I will say this: with this chapter released, if you combine the total word counts of my two series on Ao3… I have written over one million words. That is an insane milestone, but I’ll fully lose my mind when this main series has reached one million. That will be my breaking point.
As always, I hope you all loved this chapter, and I hope you enjoy what’s to come…
Up next: The group all tackle a captured fun house together, but when they see the scale of what they’re up against… Most of them have second thoughts…
~Kat~
Chapter 27: Mind’s Eye In The Sky
Summary:
The group decid on one final mission, thus joining Blob and Pinky as they liberate a fun house turned into a cold, lifeless factory from INKT’s corruption, even if it means not being able to look down…
Chapter Text
Katania looked over the railing of the blimp’s main deck, spying down at all the buildings they passed over. The city was vibrant and full of joy, life and music, the energy infectious as the citizens worked tirelessly together to fix their home. The general’s daughter smiled, only to jump a bit when Sparky suddenly appeared in her vision.
She glared at him as the pilot laughed, flying off with his jetpack on full blast. Kat rolled her eyes and shook her head, then turned around to the rest of the deck. X-5 was talking with Prof, with Zig and Bernie looking over Ransack. Camilo, Mirabel and Caleb were all off to the side plotting something, and Gladius hovered around as he listened to the chatting and relaxing going on.
The general’s daughter blinked, looking over at the cruiser in bewilderment. Looking into the front window, she saw Betty messing with a few buttons. The redhead looked over and mouthed “Auto-Pilot”, while pointing at the console she was messing around with. Katania nodded and gave her friend a silent thumbs up, then returned to gazing out at the city below. The buildings were getting a bit more faded, the music was quieting down, and the skies started to grey as they went further and further.
The girl sighed, and slumped against the railing as she blew a few loose strands of hair out of her face.
”You look like you’re enjoying yourself”, a voice said. Looking over lazily, Kat said the blue screen eyes of Pinky, who was giving her a curious look.
Kat sighed and stood up. “Just feeling that homesickness finally hit me. Don’t get me wrong, this all is cool and fun. And it’s nice to help with such an important goal…” She rubbed her face, then continued as she kept her hands on her face. “I just miss my mom and dad… And my cat, and my home, and just… everything.”
Pinky lowered down a bit and put a reassuring hand on Katania’s shoulder. “I get it, Kat. Really. I miss just relaxing, being able to hang out with Blob with no issue. Times like this… It really wears you down.”
“I can feel that with you guys, especially Blob…” Kat glanced over at Blob, who was just walking on deck while talking with fellow Colour Revolution members Zip and Arty. “But I’m definitely not built for this…”
”Just keep your chin up, Katania”, Pinky said in an encouraging tone. “The more we do, the quicker it’ll go by.”
The general’s daughter smiled lightly and nodded, but as the robot hovered away that smile fell. Kat sighed and slumped against the railing again, only to feel another presence next to her. Glancing to her left, Caleb was there giving her an understanding look. The boy slumped on the railing with her, and they leaned against each other in a form of comfort. Gladius caught sight of this and joined them, and the three of them just watched the grey skies pass by.
”I feel like we’ll be home soon…” Caleb whispered. “It just has that sort of.. feeling, you know?”
”I hope so…” Katania said with a sad sigh. “This has been fun, but I’m just ready to sleep in my bed for a week. Or two.”
”I’m going to get polished up, then go to my favourite place in the whole city…” Gladius said wistfully. “Wonder if there’s been any new exhibits while we were gone…”
”I’m just excited to see the others again”, Caleb said with a smile. “Because I know they’ll be making sure something like this doesn’t happen again. Plus, I can’t wait till they meet all the others.”
”Life’s gonna get a lot more hectic when we get back, that’s for sure”, Katania said with a light giggle. “Especially with Zig. He’s going to just cause chaos with Majima and Flowey.”
”X-5 will really appreciate Zomboss and The Doctor”, Gladius said thoughtfully. “And he’ll have fellow mechanical siblings to bond with as well, alongside Ransack and Crumplezone.”
”I wonder how everyone will react when we drag in another redhead”, Caleb joked. “Izzy, Ruby, Blossom, Merida, Amy and now Betty.”
Katania smirked and nudged the boy slightly. “Have a thing for redheads, huh?”
”It’s just a coincidence”, Caleb teased back. “They’re all awesome still. Besides, I have a type I like like…”
As he fell silent with a smile, Katania and Gladius shared a look. Confusion and curiosity were passing between them, but before they could press more, Prof came over and started speaking in a raised voice.
“Everyone, we’re almost at our next destination”, he called out. “This one is important, so we’ll need to focus!”
Everyone walked over to him, minus Ransack who just listened from a distance. With everyone gathered, the professor cleared his throat.
”We’re approaching the House Of Fun, Prisma Vity’s massive indoor theme park. INKT has repurposed it for a massive factory that’s producing the Hypno TVs and Discs, so shutting this down will make later area liberation a lot easier.”
Pinky and Blob cheered, but Dolores held up her hand. “Professor… How will we be getting in?”
Everyone looked at her in shock. “‘We’?” Sparky asked. “You’re tagging along?”
”I just feel like we all should play a part…”, the doe said with a squeak. “Mostly if it is such an important target.”
Caleb and Katania caught sight of Isabela smiling at her cousin proudly, and they shared a smile.
”Very good call, Dolores”, Prof continued. “There is a port that houses many workers, so if we help them, they’ll open up a way for us into the factory. So when we arrive, we should do what we can to help.”
”You got it, Prof!” Mirabel said with gusto. “C’mon guys, we need to get ready.” She led her family into the blimp for final preparations. Zig gestured for the others to follow after her, and he darted inside. Slowly, everyone headed inside the blimp, walking into a room that was fairly empty.
”Zig and Bernie were working with X-5 on these…” Mirabel said as she shuffled through a box.
”The paint guns have now been outfitted with D-1 Type Compressors”, X-5 began, “Allowing them to fire paint faster, further and with more force. They also come preinstalled with a kaleidoscope, allowing them to access any colour available here in this city.”
”Wow…” Caleb said as he took his upgraded gear. It was now more akin to a bazooka, with a bulky but surprisingly light backpack with it. As he got situated with the new upgrades, everyone started getting their paint guns. Each was unique in how they were styled, and each of them loved them.
”Alright guys, let’s go and free a funhouse!” Pinky said as she flew over to a lever on the wall.
”YEAH!” Everyone cheered.
Pinky pulled the lever, and a hatch in the floor opened. The team all started jumping down one by one, and from the cruiser CZ and Betty jumped down with them, and as they broke through the clouds, those of the group that could handle falls or fly themselves helped everyone land safely. As they got situated, the group all looked over their surroundings.
The port was a metal catwalk with buildings on it, and the land itself were three cliffs stacked like a cake. Buildings were dotted about on the cliffs, embedded in the walls. Higher up, there were catwalks with more buildings, and scattered around were Inky guards and transmission towers.
”Alright, here’s the plan”, Pinky said. “Smash the towers and Inkies, and paint everything you can.”
The group all shared looks. “That’s it?” Crumplezone asked.
”That’s it.”
”Awesome”, Camilo said as he gave off a grin that promised destruction. He let out a cheer as he charged from around the corner, firing his paint gun wildly. The others all watched him run off with wide eyes, and Dolores cursed under her breath in Spanish. But, they all let it slide as they all headed off and started causing colourful chaos.
Inkies were blasted and the towers were toppled as the team all split off to take down each area. Ransack and Crumplezone blasted large globs of paint at the buildings higher up on the smaller ledges, and also the cliff walls surrounding them.
Isabela worked to help the plant life flourish again, with her powers making trees, flowers and bushes all flourished back to life as Sharko and Luisa smashed Inkies into the stratosphere.
Marina worked with the Galactic Guardians to purify the water and help the animal life return, and slowly they started coming back. The mermaid rose from the water and started to sing, making a school of fish create a wave that washed a few Gunners and a Spiky away.
After a few more minutes of colourful carnage, the group all came back together at the top of the layered cliffs, right next to a glass fence. When they did, a Transform Engine formed before them, and they all watched as Blob smashed it and made an explosion of light and colour shoot off across the land. Liberated Raydians cheered as a jump pad behind the group turned on.
Bernie and X-5 looked up the pipe, while the others all looked over the location.
”This place is pretty cosy”, Luisa said with a smile. “I wouldn’t mind checking it out after all of this is said and done.”
”Later, Lulu”, Isa said as she pat her sister’s arm. She then faced Pinky. “So where’s this factory?”
”Through this pipe”, Pinky said, pointing at the pipe. It was sucking in air with a bit of suction, making some of the group a bit nervous.
”And this will take us to the factory?” Betty asked bravely.
”It should.” The robot pointed beyond the glass fence, and the group all followed. You could hear the record scratch at their momentum when they saw what was before them.
A good distance away from them, beyond a foggy valley, was a tower. A massive tower that reached into the distant grey skies. It looked like there was a mini city on a platform all the way on the top. Even from this distance, the stream of flying transport trucks were clear and visible.
”Oh…” Betty whispered with a rapid flurry of shocked blinks. “Okay…”
”THAT’S our target?!” Camilo cried out in shock. Marina and Zig both fell over as they tried to take in the height of the whole thing.
”How was that a funhouse?!” Katania cried out. “That place is huge!!”
”It’s less of a funhouse and more of an indoor amusement park”, Pinky elaborated. “So we still have a lot of work to do. The main targets are the three central stations inside, and then the Hypno TV Brain at the very top. It’s a lot, but this will be huge for our efforts.”
Caleb looked up at the tower and gulped nervously. He shared a look with Gladius and Katania, then breathed out. “Well, the sooner we get this dealt with the better. C’mon guys…”
Blob was the first one to use the jump pad to access the pipe. He was followed by Pinky, then Caleb, and slowly the others all slowly followed.
”We’ll make sure none of those punks show back up!” Ransack called out. “You guys go and save the factory!”
”Actually, Ransack…” Crumplezone began in thought as the last of the others hoped into the pipe. “I have an idea…”
The two Transformers shared a look, then grinned before running off.
~X~
After Blob and Pinky left out of the pipe, the others all followed shortly after. Only they all tumbled into a pile, groaning as their heads span and vision blurred. Slowly, they all stood back up, wobbling on their feet as they collected their bearings.
Caleb slumped over a railing, looking over the edge in a delirious state. As his mind finally stabilized, he saw he was looking over a far and dark fall. With a scream he ran away from the railing and pressed against the wall, making everyone snap out of their dizzy states and look at him and shock. They all looked over the edge, and cringed with wide eyes.
”That’s… a far drop…” Mirabel said fearfully. There was the loud sound of gears turning, and she jumped when a large platform with four bridges rotated, shaped like a plus symbol. This made the others all take in the area, and it wasn’t looking great.
They were on a catwalk next to one of three towers, each one having a theme to the traps on them. There was also a small platform where there would be a tower, and high above the middle of the central spinning platform was another tube that went even further up.
”Okay… This is crazy”, Katania said in disbelief.
Zig and Sharko shared a nervous look as they glanced up at the tower the group was next to, seeing how a set of dangerous looking beams shot out and shrunk a crate. They huddled a bit together, pulling their other halves into a secure group hug.
As the group all took in their surroundings, Betty put her fist into her other free hand. “Okay, I think we should split up. The three of us and you four…” she gestured to her fellow guardians and the island quartet “…will take this tower. The Madrigals can take the second tower, and the rest of you can take the final one.”
”That’s good, because the sooner we take out the main brain, the better”, Pinky added. She grabbed Blob’s hand and flew over to the farthest tower, with Gladius flying with a still slightly shaken Caleb and concerned Katania right behind.
As they landed, Caleb shook off his fear and looked up the tower. “So… What are we doing exactly?” He asked.
”We need to get to the top and build up enough colour energy”, Pinky said. “So then we can use a Transform Engine to take out the Inky Brain at the top of this one. Taking out these three will weaken the one on the very top.”
”This is the packing tower!” Katania called out as she inspected some nearby crates. “So we should get this one done ASAP.”
The others all nodded and started to head off, painting and smashing Inkies all along the way. There were a couple times Caleb and Blob stopped to free some trapped Graydians, but otherwise things did go smoothly.
except for one incident when Katania got sprayed by ink. She was fine, but looked very ill as she was rushed to the nearest fountain and washed off. So she and Caleb hung back a bit as the others handled the tower.
As the group climbed up, Caleb would occasionally glance to the other two towers, and smile as he saw his friends blast and colour their ways up to the brains. It was impressive seeing the different groups work. As he got a closer look at the Madrigals, he saw Dolores hanging back a bit. Makes sense, she isn’t really a fighter after all.
Caleb’s group soon made it to the top of their tower, seeing a massive brain in a jar. That only made Kat look more ill. So she sat on the sidelines as Caleb, Gladius, Blob and Pinky handled the Inkies and other hazards. On the other towers, the other two groups had reached the tops and started dealing with the last of the obstacles, and almost like a well oiled machine, all three groups activated their Transform Engines at the same time.
At once, all of them were smashed, and the whole area was washed in a bright light. All the hazards were destroyed, rides spawned out of nowhere, and the three brains vanished as each tower became themed to a certain kind of ride.
Caleb smiled, taking in all the happy Raydians running up and climbing onto the rides, their own smiles bright. The boy sighed, only to be suddenly whisked away when he was pulled over to a nearby jump pad by Katania and was pulled into a pipe with her. Caleb cried out in shock as the pipe pulled them down the pipe, passing by the tower as it slowly painted over.
At the end of the pipe, Caleb crashed on the floor in a belly flop as Katania landed perfectly on her feet. She posed, only to turn around and wince at the state of her friend. As she picked him up, one finally Transform Engine formed on the small lowly platform. Thankfully, the central platform stopped rotating, letting the teams all meet up in the dead centre with no issue.
”That was surprisingly easy”, Mirabel said happily. “This whole place didn’t put up that much of a fight.”
”I’ll take easy over hard any day…” Caleb said as he sucked in a deep breath, looking a bit panicked that he was on the railing-less platform. “I just want to get off this damn tower…”
“Almost done, guys!” Pinky said as Blob rolled over to the last Transform Engine, and smashed it. When the blinding light shot out, the central platform coloured in, and a button in the dead centre burst up. ”Hold on tight, we’re going up!”
Blob smashed the button, and the whole central platform raised. The group all tried to stabilise, but that was fruitless as they were sucked into the pipe one by one. It was a long trip, with everyone except Blob and Pinky tumbling around like dirty laundry. Thankfully, it wasn’t as long as the last pipe, so Blob and Pinky exited the pipe, only to be slammed by the others. They all turned into a heap pressed against some buildings, and they all groaned.
Gladius wiggled out and looked around, then froze. “No guardrails… Fun.”
”WHAT?!” Caleb’s head shot up and he looked over to the edge. Sure enough, no railings. “Oh I’m going to hate this…”
But his fears were instantly forgotten when there was a loud boom, and the group all scrambled to their feet and over the buildings. They all gasped, seeing how a vast majority of the tower top was already coloured. Looking to the right, they saw a bunch of Inkies running in terror, chased by Ransack and Crumplezone as they rode on the Galactic Cruiser. The two Transformers were firing their weapons wildly, Inkies getting splatted indiscriminately, Inky Transports were hit and shot down, and anything bleached was filled in with vibrant colours.
”Well, they made things a lot easier”, Camilo said with a shrug.
”Hey guys!” Crumplezone shouted. “We’ve been busy!”
”Slowpokes!” Ransack called out as the ship whizzed past.
Betty, Sparky and X-5 watched them go in complete bewilderment. “How did they do this?” The Guardian leader asked.
”Don’t question it”, Caleb said. “Just paint!” Caleb ran ahead with Katania and Gladius, taking out any stray Inkies the Transformers missed. More INKT transports started to arrive as backup, which kicked the others into overtime. They all charged and fanned out, taking out Inkies as they swarmed the top most part of the tower. Paint and ink splattered and flew everywhere as the team, Gunners, Elites, Spikies and INKT infantry were caught in a crazy and messy battle.
Crumplezone used his powerful shoulder cannons to unleash hell on the transports, painting them as they were shot out of the skies. When more transports were seen passing through the clouds, the two Transformers shared a look.
”CYBER-KEY POWER!” They both shouted. Beams of light came from the skies higher above, and the two Velocitronians had their energy filled keys after their slots. When they charged up, the motorbike jumped on top of his larger partner, and they both unleashed a powerful continuous laser blast. Everyone, both the team and Inkies alike, watched in shock as the massive beam ripped through the clouds, split the sky, and vaporized the transports. Explosions dotted the sky as transports just barely crazed started barrelling down.
The Inkies, realising they were horribly outmatched, retreated. They ran to the few transports not destroyed, and flew away. Even Inkies writhing the central brain left their posts inside to flee.
Caleb sighed as he leaned against a nearby wall. “Okay, that was… Insane…”
The others all collapsed, looking equally exhausted. “Okay, I think I’m all rebelled out…” Isabela said.
”I actually feel my muscles burning…” Luisa groaned out.
”This will definitely make Admiral DeGill happy…” Betty sighed out.
Zig, Bernie and Marina were all laying on Sharko chest, all of them looking close to falling asleep.
X-5 looked over all the exhausted group, and shared a look with Pinky. “Organics, am I right?”
”You are. C’mon, we just need to take out the central brain.” Pinky led Blob and X-5 over to the grand brain, leaving the others to recoup and refresh. Caleb looked up to the now blue skies, his breathing steady as the two Transformers cheered above on the ship. The boy smiled, said smile growing even wider as Katania and Gladius leaned on the same building next to him.
”I’m ready to head home…” Caleb said wistfully as the blast of light came from the central brain…
~X~
With the House Of Fun back to its original glory, the team all headed back to where they first entered the factory from. Things were alive and jolly, with Prismians dancing about and smiling bright. The Galactic Cruiser was parked, and the group were all next to it talking to Blob and Pinky.
”You guys really have to go, huh?” The pink robot asked sadly.
”We do, Pinky, sorry”, Caleb said with a sad smile. “It’s been great to help you guys out. But… we need to head home. The sooner we get back, the better.”
”It’s okay. Really, thank you all for helping us with this.” Pinky flew over the group. “Comrade Blanc is probably in a complete panic because of how bad things got with you all. So things will be a lot easier.”
Blob brought Zig, Dolores and X-5 into a group hug, none of them complaining. Caleb chuckled at the sight, then looked back at Pinky. “Yeah, he probably will. If I could, I’d let you guys tag along, but you have a place here. Although…” He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to the pink robot. “This is my phone number. When things calm down here, call me. Then I can bring you guys to my place.”
Pinky took the paper and looked it over. “Thanks… I’ll keep this in my memory…” She slipped it inside of her. “Well, wishing you guys the best of luck. C’mon Blob, we need to deal with a c suburb not too far from here.”
Blob nodded, and before he left with his companion, he and Caleb shared a handshake and hug. With that, the two Colour Revolution members flew off, the rest of the group waving them goodbye. When they were gone, the group all sighed.
”So, are we going to head off now?” Katania asked, jabbing a thumb at the ship.
”Yeah. All aboard guys, we have a portal to open!” Caleb shouted as he headed in first. The others all followed after, with the two Transformers climbing onto the wings Everyone headed into the cockpit, and the Guardians worked to get the ship airborne. After a bit of set up, the ship took off into the air.
Caleb shared a look with Gladius, and the blade nodded. The boy grabbed his friend and stabbed him into the console, and with a burst of energy, a portal was opened not too far ahead.
”Let’s get going!” Caleb called out. Sparky grinned and put the engines on full blast, and the ship shot forward at max speed. It entered the portal, and it closed.
Rainbow jolted awake, feeling something approaching the Capital. She panicked at first, but after standing up from her couch, she blinked, then looked out the nearest window. Tears built up in her eyes, and a wet smile formed on her face.
With a newfound energy, she dashed out of her living room, ready for things to return to normal…
~X~
And thus the De Blob arc ends with a brawl and a bang and a hint towards the next chapter. This is amazing, already I’m at the end of this multiverse part of this story. Man, I’ve come so far…
I honestly don’t have a lot to say with this chapter. It was a simpler one that just capped off an arc, ‘nuff said.
I hope you all enjoyed, and I am looking forward to getting the next chapter written out. Look forward to fluff and relaxation!
Up next: After a long trip, it’s finally time to relax in a familiar place…
~Kat~
Chapter 28: Back Again
Summary:
After bidding the colour revolution good luck and goodbye (not without a souvenir of course), the group finally makes it to the Capital, where the rest of Caleb’s family meets and mingles with each other. Greatly needed after everything that’s happened…
Chapter Text
The Galactic Cruiser shot down through the portal at light speed, the noises and calls from the walls near silent. Within the ship, things were lively and jovial, as everyone celebrated their quadrupole victories in Prisma City. With the ship on auto-pilot, everyone had gathered in the kitchen of the ship, with the two transformers having transformed so they could be inside.
As Mirabel, Sparky and Sharko tag teamed making a victory banquet, the others all relaxed and chatted. Marina, Isabela, Katania and Dolores were conversing about potential shopping opportunities at the Capital; Luisa was flexing her strength for Camilo and Zig, both egging her on to do some stupid things just for the hell of it; X-5 was talking mechanical details with Ransack and Crumplezone, while Bernie listened carefully and took notes for potential ideas.
This left Caleb, Betty and Gladius off to the side, watching everything with a smile.
The Galactic Guardian sighed and stretched, giving her two new friends a smile. “This sure has been a wild trip, huh?” She began. “You literally crashed into my life, and here I am breaking across universes just because I chose to.”
”Yeah, I felt like this after I started to get used to things the first time…” Caleb said with a sigh. “After a while… you get used to it.”
”But as much as you can”, Gladius added firmly. “I’m looking forward to when we get back home. One, so I can nap. Two, so I can finally soak in the warmth the others give off.”
Betty’s smile fell a bit as she looked the two Capital residents over. “You two really miss home, huh?”
”Always”, Caleb said with a more sad smile. “After my… pretty crummy childhood… I’ve kinda grown attachment issues with home. Where I feel more secure when I’m there. Or just any place I feel safe in…”
The guardian put a reassuring hand on his arms, and nodded. “I promise, no matter how long it takes, we’ll get you two and Katania home.”
Caleb snorted, then flashed her a grateful smile. “Thanks, Betty. Genuinely, it means a lot.”
”Just doing my job.” She stood up and walked off, joining the other girls with talks of shopping. When she was out of ear shot, Caleb sighed and stood up, heading towards the ship’s bridge. Gladius followed close behind, and watched as Caleb sat down in Sparky’s chair and started idly spinning around.
”Everything alright, Caleb?” The blade asked gently.
”Just homesick, is all”, the boy responded. “It just feels like we’re so close, yet so far, so now I’m just stuck because who knows how long it’s going to be…”
Gladius hovered down and rested against his friend, and they both looked out the front window.
”It’s uncertain, yes”, the sword began. “But you need to remember what you’ve overcome. You escaped your abusive parents, carved a life for yourself, and when you found yourself here, you kept going. You met Katania and befriended her, you heard my call and saved me, you quelled Rainbow’s heart and gave her and the others more life. And you were able to survive jumping across the multiverse to make it back, forming an unlikely family as a result.”
The blade spun around and looked the boy dead in the eye. “You helped Merida and Izzy meet, you convinced Zomboss and other big villains to tag along, you changed how things are run in the Capital. All because you never stopped. You never gave in, you never gave up. Now two of our friends are engaged, others are connecting in those deep ways, and we have a new family who just… is always there to count on…”
The sword let out a sigh, and turned to look out the window. “You made my life the best it has ever been. I felt… complete… when you pulled me out of that rock. I finally was alive.”
Caleb watched his friend the whole time he talked, happy tears slowly building in his eyes. With a watery smile, he pulled Gladius into a hug. “Of course, Gladius. Everything, all of what I could do, was thanks to you and Katania… I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for either of you.” The boy then gave a watery smile to Katania, who was suddenly standing there with a tearful look of her own.
”You’re amazing, Caleb…” She said with tears of joy trickling from her eyes. “Thank you… for everything.”
Caleb stood up and pulled her into a hug, and the trio remained in their hug for a while, so engrossed in their connection that they didn’t notice some of the others watching them from the doorway. A lot of them shared smiles, and left to leave the trio to their own devices, deciding to partake in the victory banquet.
A bit later, the trio broke the hug and simply sat on the floor of the bridge, back against the base of Betty’s chair, watching the tunnel rotate around them. The distant light at the end was hopeful, as there seemed to be almost something ethereal with it. The noise outside almost became a soothing lullaby, and Caleb and Kat slowly started to doze off.
Gladius slipped away, looking back at them with a warm feeling filling up inside him as they leaned against each other, asleep in seconds. He quietly laughed and joined the others in the kitchen, tagging in with their cheers and chatter.
As the time went on, the Capital duo woke up from their nap, still feeling very tired. Standing up, with Caleb helping Katania to her feet, they looked back out the front window. The light was much closer now, signifying this trip between worlds was almost up.
Still hearing the happy chatter from the kitchen, they started to walk towards the doorway, hands subconsciously holding on. But they froze when a red light started flashing on the center screen.
Caleb’s head snapped over, and he read over the message that was displayed.
”Crash imminent”, he repeated.
”What?” Katania said in a rising panic. “What are we going to crash into?”
”Probably something on the other side of the portal…”
”Should we warn the-” Katania was interrupted when a blaring alarm started screeching across the ship. Snapping wide-eyed looks at each other, they rushed into the kitchen.
Gladius was using his wings to cover Dolores’ ears, and the Guardians pushed past to figure out what was wrong. Mirabel and Zig ran up to the Capital duo, fearful looks on their faces.
”What’s going on?!” Mirabel cried out.
”We’re going to crash into something”, Caleb barked out. “So everyone needs to brace themselves!” He ran back into the bridge, followed by Kat, Mira and Zig. When they made it, the ship immediately started swaying awkwardly, forcing everyone to hold on else they’d trip.
”What’s happening?!?!” Betty cried out over the alarm.
”Something’s on the other side of that exit, Captain!” X-5 said in a fearful tone. “If we don’t pull up as soon as we come through, we’ll strike right into a planet!”
”How do you know?!” Katania screamed in fear.
”The scanners are saying there’s a castle courtyard on the other side, so there’s a 0.00097% chance we aren’t vaporized as soon as we land.”
The capital duo both froze and shared a look, then looked back at the robot and pilot. “FULL SPEED!” They cried out together.
”WHAT?!” Everyone else cried out simultaneously.
”Are you nuts?!” Mirabel frantically said.
”Trust us!” Katania said. “Just get through there. We’ll be okay!”
Sparky and X-5 looked up at Betty, and the Galactic Guardian Captain hesitated for a moment. She then gave her crew a stern look. “Do it.”
Sparky swallowed nervously, then kicked the ship’s engine into full gear. Everyone braced as they slipped through the portal, but nothing happened after the white light vanished. All unbracing, they looked out the window to see a landscape of cloudy blue skies and endless rolling green hills.
”Where are we?” Sparky asked, looking around.
”Pull up Sparky!” Betty barked out, pointing at some skyscrapers that suddenly appeared as they passed through a rather low cloud. The pilot screamed and swerved the ship past building after building, with Caleb and Kat holding each other’s hands tighter and tighter.
The ship violently jolted when one of the engines gave out, and Sparky was sent off course, making the ship crash into the castle courtyard X-5 predicted they would crash in.
Thankfully, no one was vaporized.
As everyone picked themselves off the floor, shaking their heads and making sure no one was injured, Caleb and Kat rushed over to the ship’s side door. The boy grabbed Gladius, and with a shocking amount of force, the two humans kicked the door open. Stepping out onto the grass, they looked around frantically, before their eyes landed on a castle. A castle split by black and white.
”WE’RE HOME!” Caleb cheered. He, Katania and Gladius all started to celebrate as the others all slowly started getting off the ship as the landing gear was activated, picking the ship up.
”This… is your home?” Luisa asked. When everyone was outside, they all looked up at the castle. “What… is this place?”
Caleb faced them with excited energy, and all eyes were on him. “Welcome to the Capital!”
”GLASSES! SWEATER!”
Things came to a halt at that scream, and the group all spun around to see a little girl running up towards them, tears trickling from her eyes.
”Vanellope!” Caleb And Katania cried out. They ran towards her, and when they met in the middle they crashed into a hug and sank to their knees.
“You guys are back, you’re really back!” The candy racer said as she buried her face into their shoulders. “Man, am I glad you guys are back. Things have been bad without you here…”
”Did something happen?” Caleb whispered.
”No. We’ve just been… sad. And Rainbow has been very… yeah…”
Katania sighed as she hugged Vanellope tighter. “That doesn’t matter now. We’re home, and that’s all that matters…”
Vanellope nodded, then lifted her head up to look behind her returned friends. She smiled as Gladius sighed in relief and flew over, joining in with the group hug. But as her eyes landed on the others, who were all watching in confusion, she bristled a bit.
”Sooooo… you brought some newbies with you, huh?” The president said. “Couldn’t help dragging more saps along?” She shot her friends a cheeky smile, although there was a light of worry behind her eyes.
”Yeah, you know me”, Caleb said jokingly. He stood up while still holding Vanellope, who was subtly glancing at the newcomers. “Where are the others?”
”They’re coming, you know how slow they can be”, the racer said with a slight tease. Right at that moment, thankfully, there was the sound of approaching footsteps. The quartet looked up, and from around some of the plant life came the rest of the group. Led by Ralph, the group all stopped when they made it to the scene.
Caleb, Katania and Gladius all shared a look, looked over at their new friends, then back to their old friends.
Caleb laughed a bit sheepishly. “Hey guys, we’re back!”
Ralph put his hands on his hips and laughed. “You never cease to amaze me, kid. C’mon, there’s a lot we need to catch up on.”
Caleb nodded, and everyone, veterans and newcomers alike, started to make their way towards the castle. Mirabel and Camilo looked up at the towering structure in awe, while Isabela looked over the wild plant life in the courtyard. The flower girl was entranced, but then she looked over towards a certain flower.
Flower, walking in his pot, glanced over at her and grinned. Isabela paled a bit, just barely being caught by Luisa and Dolores as she stumbled on her feet.
Flowey just laughed as the group all started scaling the stairs up to the balcony, and slowly started to head inside to get things cleared up, and help the fresh faces figure things out.
~X~
Within the Rec Room, things were hectic to say the least. Everyone was running around and asking questions, showing each other how they were, everything. Caleb was there… kind of. He was trapped in a massive snuggle pile of all his smaller companions. Purdy, Maple and Z-Tron were resting on his chest, and his Pokemon all just layed around him.
Except Omni and Twister, who just calmly hovered above.
Caleb, of course, wasn’t complaining, who was out like a light as he remained snuggled up with his companions, snoring lightly as he buried himself into Viz’ body. From the couch, Katania pouted in jealousy, which made Maria and Courtney giggle.
”What, he looks cosy!” The general’s daughter complained.
”We know, it’s just cute how you’re so into him”, Courtney teased.
Katania bristled and looked at them, a bright blush on her face. “W-What, no… No I don’t like him- I mean I do like him but not like that-”.
The other two girls laughed, and Maria put a reassuring hand on Kat’s shoulder. “It’s okay, mija. Just take things at your own pace. We have four other couples…” She trailed off as she looked up thoughtfully. “No… there’s… huh, a lot of us are in relationships…”
”The MAIN POINT”, Courtney said sternly, shooting a look at the wooden woman, before looking back at Katania with a smile. “Is that no matter what happens with you and Caleb, we’ll all back you two up. I can promise that.”
Kat looked down, face frozen in fearful thought. After a bit, she nodded, not looking up from her lap. “Y-Yeah… Maybe I do like him like that… and it’s clear he likes me like that too… but I don’t want to push anything…”
”You shush”, the ex-CIT said with a vigor filled tone. “Me and Gwen can help-”
Maria covered the other girl’s mouth. “No, we need to let those two do this on their own. Let’s not forget how your past relationship went.”
Courtney’s face exploded in a bright blush of shame, and she bitterly looked off to the side while grumbling curse words under her breath.
Maria rolled her eyes and shook her head, then looked back at Katania warmly. “Just take your time, okay? You’re not expected to fall in love in a day like a lot of us. Sometimes it took a while for it to click, and every then sometimes things don’t go further till years later. So no matter what, don’t rush it.”
The general’s daughter looked up a bit, and gave her friend a weak smile. “R-Right…” She then looked over at the still sleeping Caleb, and carefully stood up and walked over to him and the snuggle pile. Gently, she laid down next to him and pressed against him, falling asleep almost instantly. When Bugsy shifted a bit, making the pile more warm and cosy, she was off to dreamland.
Maria and Courtney shared a smile, and walked over so they could join the others. Elsewhere in the Rec Room, Corey was proudly atop a footstool and bombastically advertising his band’s next big show, which was right in Crazy Core again.
The little crowd, which included newcomers Marina and Sharko, listened with rapt attention. The mermaid grinned in excitement as the idea of partaking in this flashed in her mind, and her eyes formed literal stars as she turned to her partner. She blabbed out her own dreams to be a rockstar, one that a nearby Laney overheard.
The bassist leaned back with a cool smile, petting her shiny Zebstrika Zap gently. “You know, if you want to join us some time, Marina, you can.” The mermaid and shark looked at her with intrigue. “Corey’s been planning on a cross-country trip for a while, but all we’re missing is some extra vocals and some extra hands. You two up to tagging along with us for this? That way we can make it happen.”
Marina squealed quietly, and gave Sharko a pleading look. The brute was taken aback for a moment, but when he looked back at Laney, he looked up thoughtfully. After everything, he did want a break, and Marina was a great singer when it mattered. So, after a moment more, he looked back at the bassist and nodded.
The mermaid hugged her partner, and they returned to listening to Corey’s advertisement. From afar, Zig and Bernie watched them with curious looks, but then the hyena shrugged and headed off, heading out into the hallway. Looking around, he stopped when he saw Dolores looking up at the painted walls. The doe, becoming aware she wasn’t alone any more, glanced over.
”You wanted to escape the noise too?” She asked quietly.
The hyena nodded, and Bernie pat his head reassuringly. Zig mumbled how this was all so weird, so new that it was partially overwhelming.
Dolores nodded. “It is…” She looked across the wall and saw a surplus of photos. She walked over to them to look more closely, and was somewhat enamoured at the framed memories. “We’ve walked in on another life… And I don’t know if…” She shook her head. “Nevermind.”
Zig walked up next to her and gave her a concerned but reassuring look. The doe glanced down at him, and smiled lightly. Bernie then squeaked, pointing down the hall. Zig nodded, and took Dolores’ hand, heading away to just explore this whole new world. They passed by the open door to Zomboss’ room, where said zombie overlord, The Doctor and X-5 were hard at work with some sort of invention.
When the trio reached the end of the hall, they stopped as Dalek Vec headed by while talking with three guards. Dolores squeaked in wonder as she continued to follow the hyena and mollusk closely. She looked out the wall length window and hummed, seeing the bustling and lively city. It wasn’t like anything she had seen before.
Even Tio Bruno’s vision didn’t go this far…
While she was entranced by the view, Zig stopped her, making her shake her head and look down at him. She looked at what was before them, and it was a small cart with a member of staff sitting in the driver’s seat. Looking up from their phone, the staff member looked at them.
”Oh, hello!” They greeted the trio happily. “You’re the new guests Master Caleb brought, yes?”
”Y-Yes”, Dolores stammered for a moment, before straightening up. “We were just wandering around, trying to escape the noise.”
”Well, I could take you to the museum then”, the staff member offered. “I was heading there anyway for something else, so hop in the back. We’ll get there in a snap!”
Zig and Bernie happily hopped in, but Dolores hesitated for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she climbed in and sat on one. Of the benches in the back, with Bernie helping her with her lap seat belt. Zig was already buckled in, and when the trio were situated, they were all off.
~X~
As the day trucked on, things started to calm down a lot more. The new faces of the group were slowly getting more used to their new surroundings, and Betty was told by some of the castle’s mechanics that her ship was in the garage getting fully fixed up.
The Madrigals, having all joined Dolores at the museum for a while, had returned to the hallway, all talking happily between each other. But as they walked down, something caught Camila’s eye. He stopped, and his eyes widened.
”Hey, guys!” He called out to the rest of his family. “This door looks like Casita…”
The other Madrigals all walked over to him, eyeing the strange door with curiosity. Mirabel blinked and walked over to the knob, only to be stopped by Isabela.
”Mira, I know this is Caleb’s home”, the eldest Madrigal said. ”But we don’t know how this place works. So just… don’t open doors that just appear.”
”It does look like home, though…” Luisa thoughtfully as she looked at the door. “Maybe it has something going on?”
”It sounds… familiar…” Dolores said in quiet confusion.
”Look, Isa”, Mira said as she wiggled out of her eldest sister’s grasp. “This place is obviously safe. Caleb’s been here for three years, Katania and Gladius even longer. So whatever is here, is safe.” She turned around and grabbed the doorknob, swinging the door open.
On the other side was an open roof hallway, leading into an impossible blue sky. The hallway itself had a bunch of doors that depicted each Madrigal in a soft golden glow. All while the tiles on the floor clicked happily.
”Casita?!” Mirabel cried out. She ran into the hallway, and was surrounded by the hallway moving happily, as if saying ‘Yes, it’s me!’
The other Madrigals all followed after their youngest member, and looked around in shock. “How?” Luisa asked as she looked around in disbelief. “Casita collapsed! We aren’t even in the Encanto!”
”Well, who cares?” Camilo said coolly as he slid up next to his door. “We have our rooms back!” He opened the door and slipped in, only to swing it back open with a shocked expression. “They aren’t the same rooms…”
The rest of the Madrigals all shared looks, and opened their doors. Their rooms were all wildly different, seemingly more in line with what they wanted deep down. Luisa had a massive comfy bed and plenty of plush animals, as well as a small gym in the corner; Dolores was a sound repressing studio, with a nice TV and a collection of Telenovelas in a shelf. As well as a small bookshelf; Camilo had a bunch of theater stuff in the corner, but overall it was a very normal room; Isabela had a new room with a hanging bed, but the plantlife was much more wild and unkept, with a massive empty garden bed off to the side.
Mirabel, hesitantly opening her door, gasped at the sight. It was a decorated room, with walls that resembled her embroidered dresses, a massive desk covered with art supplies, and a massive plush bed with a comfy couch at the front end. Resting on a window, looking out an impossible window towards the city, was a battery powered version of her Abuela’s candle, with a framed photo of her family next to it. Specifically, this new family she had made.
She walked over to the photo and picked it up as her sisters and cousins explored her room, taking in the cosy feeling. Camilo flopped onto the couch, only to jump in fright when Caleb suddenly came into the room.
”I see you guys found your new place!” The boy said with a smile. “Hope you guys like them, because this means you’re stuck with us…”
”Stuck with you?” Isabela said in confusion.
”Means you guys have a place here for whenever you visit”, he winked and walked off, leaving the Madrigals to think over what that meant.
Caleb left the living hallway and into the normal one, watching happily as the other newcomers found their rooms and started to check them out. Ransack and Crumplezone were especially happy they had a massive door for their room, allowing them to squeeze in with ease.
As he walked back to his room, he was joined by Katania and Gladius, who both looked at him happily.
”Glad to be back?” Kat said with a teasing smile.
”More than anything…” Caleb knelt down and picked up Purdy, who let out an adorable meow. “Now I’m just going to… not leave the castle for a few days.”
”Not going to happen”, Katania said with a giggle. “We need to take the others around the city! Show them the sights, smells, sounds… Make them feel at home.”
”She’s right, Caleb”, Gladius said sternly. “So I’ll be sure to personally get you out of bed. I’ll even have Maple and Z-Tron help.”
The two named companions, who were at the boy’s feet, saluted.
Caleb rolled his eyes with a smile. “Alright, alright, I’ll make sure to get up…” He shook his head and went into his room, leaving Kat, Gladius, Maple and Z-Tron in the hall. They all watched him depart, then headed towards the balcony. The plant and mini-robot hopped onto the genera; daughter’s shoulders, and they all walked out into the open air.
Katania took a deep breath and looked around with a smile on her face, seeing her friends all mingle and chat, definitely after a long time…
Merida and Izzy were off to the side, swapping ideas of trips for their honeymoon, their engagement rings glinting in the setting sunlight all while the rest of Team E-Scope tried and failed to eavesdrop. Ralph was chastising Vanellope and Hilda for getting messy earlier, but Spamley was able to free them by distracting the wrecker. Jenny and Warlord were talking robot stuff, seemingly waiting for their other mechanical companions to join them. Zomboss sat with Star, Marco and Tom, discussing upgrading their powers with his tech. Majima and Flowey simply lazed at their table, looking over the railing towards the balcony.
Smiling brightly, Katania walked over to the table Maria and Manolo were sitting at, making the two San Angel residents smile.
“Pretty hectic day, huh?” Manolo said as he idly stirred his tea.
”It has been, yeah…” Katania looked out towards the city as it was blanketed in the glow of the sunset. “I;m just glad we’re home…”
”I never want to do something like that again…” Gladius said as he lazily flew over the table. “Intermensional travel like that is the worse way to travel.”
”We’re aware”, Maria said as she rolled her eyes. After she took a sip of her tea, she looked at Katania. “What did you guys get up to anyway? What’s the whole story to the new faces?”
”Okay, that’s a long story, but it started like this…” Katania started to go on about their whole journey, making sure to leave out how Caleb got his leg injury initially to save Gladius any scrutiny. As she shared the tale, some of the others came over to listen. Later into the story, the newcomers all walked onto the balcony and split off, chatting and mingling with the others.
X-5 and the Transformers joined his fellow robots; Mirabel and her sisters went over to Courtney and Gwen, Zig and Flowey chatted as Sharko and Eva started to arm wrestle; Betty and Izzy shared stories about their escapades while Merida dozed off beside her fiancée.
It was warm, cosy and peaceful. Everyone was doing something, and it was wonderful.
And inside the castle, at the other end of the hall, Caleb stood all alone as if waiting for something. He turned to his right, and held his arms out as tears started to pool in his eyes. In a flash, a blur of rainbow, purple, dark and light shot past, carrying him down the hall.
Rainbow, after so long, was happy, and all the clouds parted in the sky…
~X~
And there we have it! We finally are back at the Capital! After a few months, we are fully done with the full multiverse part of the story. The story is far from over, however. As if I’m going to leave all these characters hanging! I have big plans… hehehehe…
Anyway, yeah, the group is all together as one. So expect the following few chapters to be a lot like the first 10, only with a focus on the new additions from this story. This’ll be fun…
Thank you all for sticking around! And, following this chapter’s release, it means we’ve reached 990k words with this series! A little under 10k and I’ll have hit I million. So close, so freaking close. Keep following, keep loving, keep showing your appreciation (Unless you’re a crummy bot account or someone who uses AI to justify you being a “Concept Artist”).
Up next: With the new faces still trying to get a grasp of things, Caleb takes it upon himself to be tour guide (despite it being Kat’s idea). As expected, hijinx ensue…
~Kat~
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